#the normal cat will return after October ends

[scurvioli]

[milligramspoison]

Hi! First two MCR shows for 2024! Except part of the list started in 2023 thanks to fucking Mikey and Chris!

I also have a list of MCR’s 2022-2023 tour if you also want to check that out! Anyways ty Mikey and Chris for starting this list off 11 months early 😭

MCR @ WWWY

Hey Chris commented a sunset emoji under Mikey’s post that announced day 2 of WWWY, referring to Pete’s Amazing New Mexico Sunset post from 2005 (writing this on November 17th, 2023- 11 fucking months to go lmao)

Mikey also replied to Chris’ comment

Mikey is also very excited to play Disenchanted! (Love this for him)

Not WWWY but it deserves to be here -> Gerard’s cat costume from Toronto night 2 made it into the show Carol & the End of the World! (Hi it’s January 29th, 2024 as I’m writing this bullet point)

Frank is back on his fortune cookie bullshit (hello it’s March 18th, 2024 as I’m writing this)

American Idol contestant Abi Carter sang WTTBP for her top 20 performance on April 14th, 2024!

Chris posted the Pete and Mikey emo critters on his story on May 17th, 2024, using 🌅 as the fucking caption 😭

My Chem’s facebook got hacked on July 25th, 2024 😍

They’re doing additional songs after they do TBP in full, possibly the B Sides and Living With Ghosts 👀 (update they didn’t do either 😭)

Teenagers surpassed 1 BILLION streams on Spotify!!

I’m Not Okay will be added to Fortnite October 17th! (And will already be in the game by the time this post goes up!)

Close up of MCR’s (and FOB’s) merch for the festival!

The Swarm fly also returns for whatever reason 👀 (it was a big symbol during the last tour so I’m surprised it’s back for two one off shows)

DAY BEFORE WWWY WE HAVE THE BAND SOUNDCHECKING FAMOUS LAST WORDS (it’s officially WWWY weekend!!!)

MCR’s first show since March 26th, 2023!! (That’s 573 days aka 19 months!!)

Frank’s first tonight’s our night post involving MCR since last year 🥲

Mikey was spotted watching Mayday Parade’s set!

A CLIP OF THEM SOUNDCHECKING ON THE 18TH

Mikey was also spotted watching Dashboard Confessional’s set!

A third Mikey (and this time Kristin too!) spotting!

A fourth Mikey spotting and he’s with Patrick of FOB this time!!

WHITE FLOORING IS BEING LAID OUT

MCR’S STAGE AROUND THE BEGINNING OF FOB’S SET

MCR’S STAGE TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF FOB’S SET

MCR’S STAGE AROUND 9:45PM

Pete of FOB hyped up the crowd for MCR’s set during the FOB set!!

WHATEVER THIS IS THEYRE TESTING STUFF FOR MCR’S SET

4 separate stage lights for them as of rn…….

GERARD AND MIKEY’S PARENTS ARE THERE

GERARD GOT A HAIRCUT

THE END FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE OCTOBER 7TH, 2007

DEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE AUGUST 27TH, 2011

RAY ALSO HAD TWO GUITARS (obvi but still exciting nonetheless 😭)

“Fuck yeah” ~ Gerard

“Kisses for you!” ~ also Gerard!

SHARPEST LIVES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MAY 9TH, 2008

RAY’S WINE RETURNS

“Spicy, you're fucking spicy” ~ Gerard ofc

I DON’T LOVE YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE OCTOBER 17TH, 2022

Gerard asked the audience to bark as they were going into House of Wolves 😭

HOUSE OF WOLVES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MARCH 20TH, 2023

CANCER FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MARCH 19TH, 2023

They also got a violinist for Cancer and it sounded incredible

The violinist was Kayleigh Goldsworthy!!!!!

DISENCHANTED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE OCTOBER 7TH, 2007

There was also blooming and decaying flowers during Disenchanted!!

And there was also swords at some point during the set too…

RAYRARD MOMENT

“I got all this fucking honey in my mouth, it broke my ass! The fucking softest hands!” ~ Gerard, whatever he was rambling about 😭

WTTBP WAS REPRISED AT THE END OF FAMOUS

Blood was played on tape for the first time in many years!!

The band had an encore following the entirety of TBP!

I’m Not Okay was the first song of the encore!

A fan rushed the stage and touched Frank before being escorted off 🤦‍♀️ (BE NORMAL PPL they’re human just like the rest of us)

The look Gerard gave the stage rusher was super funny tho 😭

And they ended night one off on Helena!

DAN AND PHIL REFERENCED NO BUT SERIOUSLY IMAGINE IT

VIDEO OF THEM REFERENCING IT

Frank and Gerard goofing around <3

Marina Toybina styled their outfits (or at least Gerard’s) for night one of the festival!! (She also styled a lot of outfits for Gerard on the last tour!)

“Hey everybody!” ~ Gerard as he was going backstage!

MIKEY WATCHED FOB’S SET AND SANG ALONG TO MMRS

Gerard got on their tippy toes to reach over to fans on the other side of the fence 🥹

FRANK SPOTTING (WWWY night 2)

Cherry, Miles, and Lily (Frank’s kiddos) watching the Dunes set from yesterday <3 (and a bonus- it’s also Frank’s second tonight’s our night post for MCR since last year!)

Pete of FOB once again hyped up the crowd for MCR’s set during FOB’s!!!

GERARD IS IN THE SAME OUTFIT

RAY IS IN A BLACK SHIRT AND JEANS

“FUCKING ACE MAN” ~ Gerard!

Pixels of Mikey and Frank!!!

“Thank you” ~ Gerard after I Don’t Love You 🥹

KAYLEIGH RETURNED ON VIOLIN

SERENITY PRAYER BEFORE MAMA

KAYLEIGH ALSO DID VIOLIN ON MAMA TONIGHT

“BAG FULL OF KNIVES”

“There was a summer, I started collecting knives. Big bags full of knives. It’s because my friend died. And I was hoping somebody would try to hurt me so I could kill them. And he fell down. And one day he went to sleep forever.” ~ GERARD BEFORE SLEEP

“Vegas, I want you you to let go of everything. Everything!” ~ also Gerard before Sleep!

Gerard also laughed during Sleep 😭

“BELLISSIMO”

“THIS IS A SONG ABOUT BEING IN THE DREAM. AND DYING. BECAUSE THATS ALL DREAMS DO” ~ GERARD GOING INTO DISENCHANTED

WTTBP REPRISE AGAIN DURING FAMOUS

NA NA NA IS THE FIRST SONG OF THE ENCORE

SECOND SONG OF THE ENCORE IS HELENA

“Good night Las Vegas!” ~ Gerard before Helena!

WWWY POSTED PROFESSIONAL FOOTAGE OF MCR’S SET

GERARD WRAPPED THE MIC CORD AROUND THEIR NECK JUST LIKE OLD TIMES

This photo of Gerard…

AND THIS PHOTO OF GERARD WITH RAY AND MIKEY

Gerard met some fans after the show!!

RAY’S STAGE LEFT TATTOO HAS MADE AN APPEARANCE

Some of the photos Beemer took last night!

RAY AND HIS WINE RETURN ONCE AGAIN

INCREDIBLE video of Gerard

Hi if you’ve made it this far! Welcome to the 2024 list for MCR!- that feels so good to say omg

I’m so excited to be posting this after having it in my drafts since last November. And it was so exciting to be liveblogging about an MCR show again with everyone!!

I hope it isn’t a long time before we all can do this again. Following the tour was such an incredible experience for me and to do it again for two nights only this weekend was amazing

Anyways, thank you if you’ve made it this far. And I hope all of you enjoy looking back on the list!!

My Chemical Romance forever and ever, okay? <33333

[chrisgraves09]

The Return to Freddy’s Rewritten: Chapter 3

>Chapter 3: The Diner's a Paradise! Right?

It is nearing the end of the 1960s with there being a children's entertainment diner opened on October 3rd of 1968 called Goldie's ParaDiner. It was managed by a kind and welcoming individual named Mr. Fredbear who is in charge of the place's income and maintenance.

The location is a place where kids and grown-ups alike will be able to be entertained by an animatronic bear and bunny on stage. It is also home to a special type of animatronic group that is specially designed where it could double as both an animatronic and costume called springlocks suits. The two springlock animatronics are named Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, with Mr. Fredbear passing his name to the yellow bear himself of course.

Having quit their job at Fazbear INC, both Gron and Vincent decided to work at the diner, not having to worry about discovering any abused employees and worshipping robots anymore. Gron works as an performing entertainer known as "The Green Jester", wearing a green and yellow outfit, white gloves, a jester hat and shoes, and a grey bowtie. Gron didn't mind this at all for this is what he was known as before getting married to his loving wife Lynda.

Vincent also worked as an entertainer, but he also manages behind the counter, collecting the money for every customer that comes into the restaurant. He also recorded training tapes for any new employees applying to work at Goldie's ParaDiner too, always making sure to recommend newcomers to listen to each one of his tapes and remember them carefully.

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On November 5th, Mr. Fredbear was expecting a very important shipment to come in before the diner closes for the night. Once it arrived and was carried to Backstage, he opened the large package and was very confused by what's inside. What he had ordered did come, being two cheaply made costumes of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. But there were two animatronics that Mr. Fredbear did not recognize. They seem to be like the normal springlock suits that were already shipped not too long ago, however looking at both of their blueprints, their endoskeletons are drastically different to what he was used to with the springlocks. Then, Vincent walked into the room just as Mr. Fredbear turned his head towards him.

"Oh! Hey, Vincent," Mr. Fredbear spoke with a slight smile before turning back to the blueprints with a troubled expression. Seeing how puzzled the man was, Vincent walked over and joined him, looking over the blueprints.

"What is it you're noticing?" Vincent asked Mr. Fredbear, his concern reflected in his voice as he stood beside him.

"Well..." Mr. Fredbear began, his voice taking on a more puzzled tone as he tried to explain what he was seeing. "It seems these two animatronics are different than the two springlocks we have... the design differences and the way their inner mechanisms and endoskeletons are set up are all very... weird."

Vincent takes a look at both the blueprints and the two animatronics in front of him. One was designed as a humanoid wearing yellow clothing and a black fedora while the other is designed to be a yellow cat holding what looks to be a staff.

"Strange," Vincent commented with a confused expression. "Uh, hey. Where are you ordering these animatronics at by the way, if you don't mind me asking?" Mr. Fredbear's tone takes on a puzzling tone as he looks for the trademark or logo of the company he bought the animatronics from.

"Oh, um... They came from Fazbear INC, I believe?" He then pointed to the company's logo on the bottom right of the blueprint to which Vincent looked at it and slowly frowned, now understanding where the springlocks had come from as his expression darkened.

"So... his company is still in business after 1963," Vincent said darkly, looking at the two yellow animatronics. Mr. Fredbear turned to Vincent with a puzzled look, not understanding what he's talking about.

"Who's he?" he asked. "The man who produces these robots," Vincent responded grimly, pointing at the blueprints of the animatronics. Mr. Fredbear looked at the Fazbear INC logo and saw who Vincent was talking about.

"Oh, you mean... him?" He said, his expression becoming darker and more concerned as well. Vincent nodded solemnly at his words.

"We thought we did what we could to get his company out of business. But I guess that wasn't enough," his tone grew dark before facing Mr. Fredbear. "Why are you ordering animatronics from that horrid company? Were you under some contract that you can't back out of?"

Mr. Fredbear simply sighed with a regretful tone. "Yes, unfortunately. Because I had already placed my orders to the company, I'm under a contract with Fazbear INC that I'm unable to back out of, I'm afraid," he said, "the only way for me to end the partnership with the company is if both parties agree to end the deal." Vincent could only let out a small groan, understanding Mr. Fredbear's predicament.

"And knowing what he plans to do with his company, he isn't surely planning to end the partnership," he said in a quiet, yet pissed tone. Mr. Fredbear looked out to space and sighed again, expressing his helplessness in the situation.

"Well, the good part about this is that he isn't actively trying to hunt you and Gron down," he said, trailing off with a concerned tone, "... but it doesn't seem to matter now at this point." Vincent just remained pissed, but solemnly nodded to his words.

"So what do we do with these two? We can't have anyone wearing them in case they malfunction upon putting them on," he asked. Mr. Fredbear looked up at Vincent with a slight smile, signifying he does know what to do before going over to carry the humanoid animatronic. "Take the cat animatronic and follow me," he said, walking out of the Backstage and into the cool silent dining room.

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After a few minutes, the two yellow animatronics are thrown into an underground basement just below the diner by Mr. Fredbear and Vincent. While Mr. Fredbear returned upstairs, Vincent stayed behind for a moment, examining the cat and human animatronics before following Mr. Fredbear up the stairs and locking the basement door behind him.

"When you begin recording new springlock suit tapes in the morning, please mention to never pick the ones that have recently been shipped," he instructed Vincent carefully, "we don't want anyone wearing as a unrecognisable character and spray blood on the customers if they even take one step, alright?" Vincent silently nodded before the pair exited out of the diner, getting ready to lock up.

"Have a good night, Mr. Fredbear," Vincent called out before walking off. Mr. Fredbear waved back as he locked the front door up, heading home in the cool evening.

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On December 23rd, two days before Christmas, Gron decided to take his wife and kids to Goldie's ParaDiner for an early family Christmas trip. It was a cold and snowy day, but he was determined to make it special for his family. His kids including Charles, Brody, and Jackson were particularly excited about going there and enjoying themselves.

"Go ahead and take the kids to the car, I gotta get something before we go," Gron told Lynda as he turned off the fireplace. Lynda nodded in agreement, taking the kids to the car first before waiting for Gron. He grabbed his lucky fedora off the couch, adjusted his tie, and left the living room. Locking the front door, he walked into the car and started up the engine.

"Ready for a fun time at Goldie's?" Gron asked happily to his three kids before buckling his seatbelt. Charles, Brody, and Jackson all nodded with a bright smile as Gron began to drive the car to Goldie's ParaDiner.

As he was driving the car towards the diner, he didn't notice a light blue car driving right passed them and struck a semi-truck, making it go out of control and causing the rope holding the oil tanks to loosen, making two of them roll off the flatbed and starting rolling towards the family's car.

"Gron, look out!" Lynda yelled his name as Gron looked up just in time to see the two oil tanks rolling towards them at an extremely high speed. He quickly turned the wheel, just nearly missing the rolling tanks and crashing off road. The impact was severe with the car having a massive dent and everyone inside nearing death.

The light blue car then parked just on the side of the road and out stepped from the vehicle is a man wearing a red trench coat, blue shirt, brown hair, and a sinister grin on his face. He walked to the family's car and surveyed the damage done to them. He turned his head towards Gron who was barely moving and smiled a cold smirk.

"Maybe after this event, you will learn to never fuck with me and my business ever again. If you survive that is..." He whispered before walking back to his car and driving off. Gron couldn't tell who the person was outside and can't make out what they were saying before being slowly knocked unconscious.

The semi-truck driver then stepped outside and surveyed the damage caused by the crash, immediately contacting emergency services by dialling 911. The ambulance soon arrived bringing the injured family to the emergency room for treatment.

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The ambulance arrived at the hospital and rushed the family inside, bringing them into the emergency room where they were quickly handed to the doctors inside. When the doctors entered the room, they were surprised to see the family in such horrible conditions, especially Gron being particularly hurt in the accident.

As all the doctors and nurses came in, an unknown doctor from outside stepped into the room and ordered them to go take care of another patient, saying he'll take over the procedure of the family. The "doctor" walked up to Gron's unconscious body, looked at him closely for a long time, and spoke in a cold and emotionless tone.

"You should have never joined the Fazbear INC. family in the first place." He then walked over to Lynda's life support, staring back at Gron as he hovered his hand over the heartbeat monitor's cord. Just as he was about to rip it out, he stopped and listened for any noise, hearing the doorknob as someone approached their room.

Opening the door was Vincent, rushing in after hearing the news. He took one look at Gron and his family, his expression becoming serious as he noticed the severity of everyone's conditions. His eyes shifted towards the "doctor" who was still hovering his hand over Lynda's life support. Vincent then approached the "doctor" as his eyes narrowed.

"The hell are you doing, doctor?" he said, getting to his face. The "doctor" immediately realised who Vincent was upon entry and took his hand off of the life support cord with uncanny haste, quickly exiting out of the room just before the other doctors and nurses arrived back into the room. Vincent looked over at the doctors who had entered the room.

One of the doctors approached Vincent and spoke in a low yet calm tone: "We'll take care of them from here, sir. Don't worry." Vincent silently nodded as he walked out of the emergency room, looking back as the doctors and nurses attended to Gron and his injured family. As he walks down the hallway, he couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious doctor and what they were doing, attempting to end Lynda's life.

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Once Vincent left the hospital and walked out to the parking lot, he saw the "doctor" once again, removing his doctor outfit. He had a malevolent look on his face, as if he had something unpleasant to say. He walked up to Vincent and said sternly: "You've almost ruined my boss's business, and now you and Gron are going to pay for it."

Vincent snapped back angrily, glaring at him: "Your so-called boss is torturing and enslaving innocent people that are working under his company." The "doctor" remained vigilant as he stared back at Vincent.

"That's a pretty bold accusation," he said coldly, "but I can assure you that Fazbear INC does not torture nor enslave anyone." Vincent's anger grew and his eyes narrowed.

"Were you NOT trying to pull the plug on Gron's wife who, mind you, is innocent?" he asked, unable to hold his anger any longer.

"No. I was not attempting to pull the plug on Gron's wife," he said, his tone remaining cold and monotone as he turned around and walked to his car with a sly grin forming on his face. Vincent just seeth in rage and was just about to tell the "doctor" off for his actions until he drove off from the parking lot, not hearing more of Vincent's rant. Vincent was left standing there fuming with anger, unable to vent his frustrations. Needing to relax for a while, he walked to his car and drove back home in a huff.

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A few days later, Gron finally awoke from his unconscious state and finds himself and his family in the emergency room, surrounded by medical equipment. He sat up from his hospital bed, his eyes focusing on Vincent, who was sitting in a chair right beside him.

"Vincent...? What.. happened?" he barely spoke out, his voice getting hoarse from the accident, making him unable to speak out. Vincent looked up at the sound of Gron's voice and slightly smiled towards his face.

"You were in a terrible accident, that's what happened," he gently said, "But you're alright now, and everyone else is, too." Gron looked over to see a doctor currently seeing his youngest son, Jackson, checking to see if he's doing alright.

"How is my son, doctor..?" he asked, doing his best to focus on what the doctor has to say. The doctor looked at Gron confidently and reassured him with a kind smile as he spoke about Jackson.

"Your son is fine, Mr. Takaliken, no need to worry. He just has a few minor bruises and scratches, but nothing more than that."

Gron's concern for Jackson slightly eased, as he felt relief hearing that his youngest son is alright. "And my wife Lynda... is she?" Gron spoke hoarsely again, fearing for the worst.

The doctor remained silent for a moment before responding with a serious tone. "Unfortunately, your wife has suffered severe injuries around her back," he said in a calm tone, "and we are still running some tests. She's currently in critical condition." Gron wasn't surprised by the news of Lynda's condition, but is still left anxious and helpless.

"She'll be okay, right?" he asked again. The doctor gave Gron a slight smile and a reassuring look, hoping to ease his worries.

"Mr. Takaliken, I understand your concerns, but we're doing everything we can to make sure that she and your kids are okay," he replied in an understanding tone. As Gron watches the doctor go over to check on Brody, Gron turns to Vincent with worrying eyes.

"She'll be alright, Gron," Vincent reassured him, "her life support is plugged in, showing that she's still breathing." Gron smiled weakly, looking over to Lynda as Vincent's expression grew more serious.

"That's what I want to warn you about, Gron," he gravely said as his tone grew dark, "Lynda almost got the plug pulled away by someone working under Fazbear INC." Gron upon hearing the mere mention of that infamous company made his skin grow goosebumps, making his paranoia and fear start to kick in.

"You mean... he's still hunting us?" he asked, his hoarse voice starting to become more urgent. Vincent was silent as he nodded, which added to Gron's tension and fear.

"And not only that, but his company is still in business even after we quit that day," he added darkly, "And the animatronics that Mr. Fredbear ordered for the diner? They came straight from Fazbear INC." Gron's tension and anxiety only continued to grow as Vincent elaborated on Fazbear INC s recent doings.

Almost getting killed after sabotaging Fazbear INC s machine, getting into a brutal car crash, and almost losing his wife to one of Fazbear INC s men. He's built up so much paranoia and fear as the events pile up that his voice begins to crack and his eyes start to water a little. Vincent's face grew tender with concern, seeing Gron beginning to break down. He walked over to his friend's hospital bed and put his hand on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture for comfort.

"You want me to get you a drink before I get going?" he asked, trying to comfort Gron. Gron looked up at Vincent with a single tear streaming down his face and nodded silently.

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It's now December 28th, 3 days after Christmas, and Gron was finally able to stand up and walk around on his own again. However, Lynda would still need to be in the hospital for more treatment. As Gron and his kids were about to leave the hospital room, he turned to his wife.

"Are you gonna be alright here, dear?" Gron asked his wife, still feeling anxious about leaving her alone in the hospital.

"Of course, honey," Lynda replied, giving Gron a weak smile with reassurance, "I just need a little more time before I'm fully better." Gron smiled back before giving her a kiss on her forehead. Jackson walked up to his mother's hospital bed and quickly hugged her.

"I'll miss you, mommy," he said softly, his voice almost close to tearing up. Lynda immediately hugged her son back, her smile remaining weak from her injuries. Brody and Charles also joined in and hugged their mother too, trying to fight back the tears. Gron was close to crying before wiping a tear from his face.

"Alright boys, let's go. Our taxi is waiting for us," he said, making sure to stay strong even though he's still shaken from the whole accident and everything that happened afterwards. The three kids all joined Gron and followed him out of the hospital room, leaving Lynda alone. Lynda felt a twinge of sadness as they went out of sight, but knew that her health came first.

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As Gron and his kids left the hospital and got into the taxi, Gron knew that he should give his kids their Christmas presents since it has already passed. His heart began to warm at the thought of them finally being able to open their presents, especially after what they went through.

"Hey kids, how about once we go back home, we start opening your presents?" he suggested, his tone hopeful and energetic as he looked back at his sons.

Brody, Charles, and Jackson looked at one another before immediately nodding their head in eager excitement. The atmosphere in the taxi was lively as they anticipated the moment when they could finally open their presents.

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Gron and his three kids are finally back home with the warmth of the fireplace starting to warm the house up and their cold skin. Jackson, being the youngest of his siblings, was the first one to open his present to see a toy train inside.

"Woah, a train!" he exclaimed excitedly as he began to play with the toy train on the floor, his youthful energy showing through with every excited movement.

"Must be one of Santa's presents," Charles said, his tone filled with joyful wonder as he watches Jackson play with his present. Brody simply smiled, feeling a tad bit sore from the incident, but just feeling happy to finally open their presents.

"Ok, Brody, you're next to open your present," Gron spoke with encouragement in his still hoarse voice. Brody went over to the tree to find his present and opened it to find a black fedora with a red stripe on it. His eyes lit up with excitement as he put it on and danced around with it.

"Wow, that hat really fits your style, Brody," Charles compliments him warmly. Brody nodded eagerly without saying a word as he adjusted his scarf around his neck. It's now Charles's turn to open his present but when he couldn't find his present under the tree.

"Hey dad, where's my present?" Charles asked confusingly. Gron chuckled as he went behind the couch and grabbed a rather medium sized present from out of there, giving it to Charles. He soon opens it up and looks inside to find... a wooden doll.

"Woahhh! A wooden man! Cool!!" Charles exclaimed in joyful energy as Brody and Jackson came over to look at it curiously. Gron sat back down on the couch after giving Charles his present, watching his kids play with their presents they got along with their other toys, He was filled with joy in his heart, seeming to have forgotten all about their accident.

Deep down, he still thinks about what Vincent told him about their old boss and his awful company, having to live with the fact that he's still managing his horrid company and shipping off animatronics to the place he works at. He tries to hide his pain and feelings of frustration, knowing that his children shouldn't be exposed to their father in such a depressive state, both mentally and physically.

For now, he decides to enjoy his Christmas evening with his three kids before tucking them to bed.

End of Chapter 3

[sukunas-angel]

When The Clock Strikes Midnight Collab.

Sukuna x Female Reader

Little Red Riding Hood Theme.

Word Count: 2.4k

Trigger warnings: Non-Con. Please do NOT read if this bothers/triggers you. View at your own discretion.

Tags: NSFW, Non-Con, Little Red Riding Hood Theme, JJK, Jujutsu Kaisen AU, Sukuna x DFAB Reader, Predator x Prey Trope.

1.

It hadn’t always been like this.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the rumours had started, or when fear had spread like a vicious wildfire around the village. She remembered a time before the whispers and the unofficial curfew. She remembered a time when the sun used to shine, and life as she knew it was just plain ordinary.

There was a cursed spirit that supposedly lurked in the woods that separated the small village from her grandmothers cottage. She wasn’t sure when or how it had arrived, just that people who dared go near the forest were never seen again.

She had lost classmates, friends. Too many she knew went venturing into the forest, to never return again. Some of them were brave; searching for missing family and friends. And some were stupid, sneaking into the dense wood on dares in the dead of night. It didn’t matter their intention. Whoever entered the forest, never came back.

Y/N was neither brave nor stupid.

No, certainly not brave. Even now, her heart raced fiercely in her chest as she slowly trudged through the sea of amber leaves on the forest floor. Her hands were clammy and balled into tight fists inside the oversized sleeves of her red hoodie. Her breaths came fast and laboured, creating a white smoke in the cold autumn air. No, she certainly wasn’t brave at all.

She just felt guilty.

The fear and hysteria had gotten so severe in the village that no one dared deliver groceries to her grandmother anymore. It had been almost 5 days since all ventures into the forest had stopped completely, and Y/N was certain her grandmother had to be slowly starving by now. She was far too old and frail to be foraging for food in the forest, and far too sickly to be going without proper nutrition.

Y/N wasn’t stupid.

She knew a journey into the forest meant certain death. She knew this, she really did.

But she couldn’t just let her grandmother starve to death.

She was the last bit of family she had. And starvation was such a slow and cruel death. She couldn’t handle the guilt, the overwhelming feeling of responsibility that weighed heavily in her chest.

So here she was, on a gloomy October morning, walking into certain death, with a basket full of groceries clutched to her chest.

It was almost funny.

No, it was funny. She giggled to herself. Actually, it was hilarious. She had ventured into certain death with nothing to arm herself with, but cans of soup. She giggled some more; perhaps she was dumb.

“How odd. They’re not normally crazy until after I’ve finished with them.”

Her body froze in place, and her eyes darted around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice. From what the village elders had told everyone, cursed spirits weren’t supposed to talk.

“No matter. You humans are always the same when you die. Snivelling, pathetic little shrimps right until the last breath.”

The voice was closer now, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. She turned her whole body suddenly, whipping her head round to face the incredible evil that stood behind her.

What stood before her wasn’t what she expected at all.

She hasn’t expected a cursed spirit to look so human. The elders had painted them as such ghastly creatures, a terrible sight for anyone who could actually see them. But the entity that stood before her was almost attractive. Something so pleasing to the eye that, if she weren’t scared out of her mind, she might’ve found him incredibly handsome.

His pink hair complimented his red eyes perfectly, and his frighteningly tall figure was sculpted and muscled beneath the white robe he wore.

“Y-you’re human?” She questioned uncertainly.

He looked human enough. Sure, he had odd black markings on his skin but that could just be paint, right? The elders had insisted cursed spirits were monsters, incapable of speech and very unlikely to be seen by the eyes of ordinary humans.

“You can see me?” He seemed genuinely delighted at the prospect, a large grin splitting his face, revealing sharp, pointed teeth.

Teeth that certainly weren’t human.

She shook her head dumbly, averting her eyes in a futile attempt to pretend she was blind to the presence in front of her.

“You shook your head to my question, which means you can hear me too. What an interesting little human you are,” he almost cooed to her, stepping forward in curiosity.

She stepped back instinctively, with every fibre of her being screaming for her to run. She was in the vicinity of an apex predator. She was the prey, she was helpless. She knew this in her very soul.

Run.

Run.

Her brain was screaming at her to sprint, adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her muscles were poised, ready to contract, to move her faster than she’d likely ever moved before.

But she couldn’t move.

“Humans haven’t been able to see me in millennia. Not since those jujutsu sorcerers were still around.”

He was speaking to her again, smiling at her in malice. His cold red eyes appraised her form, smiling wider when he noticed how ready she was to bolt.

“What’s the matter little human? Cat got your tongue?” He chuckled darkly, stepping even closer.

“You know, most people would have ran by now. What’s the matter? Too frightened to move?” He taunted her, making her blood boil at his mocking tone.

“What’s the point in running? I’d be dead within seconds. I’d rather face my death head on. I’m not a coward.” She spat at him, her eyes a raging fire.

She could tell he enjoyed this. He enjoyed the fear he brought to people, the chase when they ran. And she was sure he enjoyed killing them after.

Though she was terrified, and her body screamed at her to run as fast as she could, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

His resounding laugh startled her.

“What an interesting little creature you are!” He laughed in delight, clapping his hands together with a large grin.

“But your little front doesn’t fool me. I can hear your racing heart, little girl. I can smell the adrenaline coursing through your veins. I can taste your fear.” His voice lowered and he stepped toward her again.

She backed up now, cursing herself when her back hit the cold bark of a tree. She should’ve been more aware of her surroundings. He was too close to try moving away from the tree behind her now.

She was too frightened to try move anyway, her legs shook and she slumped slightly into the tree trunk, her knees weak from fear. She wanted to be strong, to face her imminent death head on.

But she was afraid.

His large figure caged her to the tree, his arm coming to rest just above her head. He looked down at her cruelly.

“You. Are. Terrified.” He whispered in her ear. She whimpered in response, her head sinking into her shoulders in fear.

“You know,” he started, a hunger settling in his crimson eyes once again.

“There was a story that went around this village back when I was human,” Sukuna purred, drawing his face closer to hers so that their noses almost touched.

“About a poor little girl…” he grabbed her fragile wrists in his hands, pinning them above her head. She watched him through fearful, wide eyes.

He could feel her heart hammering in her chest. He had forgotten how pleasant and warm a woman’s body could be. She was ever so pretty too, her large doe eyes had drawn him in from the beginning.

“And a big…” he put his lips to her ear, grinning at how she shivered in fear.

“….Bad…” he licked the shell of her ear, revelling in her cry of fear.

“….Wolf.” Sukuna growled, pushing his body into hers, trapping her impossibly tight against the tree. He licked up her neck, moaning at just how good she tasted.

So sweet.

She tried squirming away from him; being pinned so tightly between him and the tree was almost painful. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, she couldn’t bear to look at the beautiful monster in front of her anymore.

“You’re delicious.” Sukuna whispered in her ear, nibbling on the lobe.

“Did you eat the other people that came into the woods?” She’d tried to sound strong, but the wobble in her voice betrayed her.

He pulled back to look down upon her coldly. His cruel smirk told her the answer to her question.

“Yes.” He affirmed, stroking her cheek with one sharp nail while his other hand kept her wrists pinned above her head.

Her knees almost gave way at his answer, as her breaths came out in frantic gasps.

So many people…

So many people had been eaten. By this human-like monster in front of her.

Oh, god. Y/N thought.

I’ll be eaten too.

“A-are you gonna eat me?” She breathed, looking up into his cold red eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Y/N didn’t want to die. She was too young. She had so much to live for, so much she wanted to do. She never even got to leave this damned village. She was born here, set to die here, without ever seeing anywhere else.

A wasted life. She thought miserably.

“No.”

Her eyes met Sukuna’s again in shock.

“Though you are delicious,” he grinned, his pointed teeth making her shudder.

“A human hasn’t been able to see or hear me in millennia. And here you are,”

“A pretty little girl, who stumbled so innocently into my territory,” he was whispering into her ear again, making her shiver.

“Who can see and hear me. Killing you would be a waste.” He nuzzled his face into her neck, groaning at how good she smelt.

“It’s been years since I felt the touch of a woman.” He told her, sucking lightly on her neck.

Her eyes widened as the meaning of his words dawned on her.

“No, no, no, no! No way…no way in hell will I…I’m not…I won’t be your whore.” She sputtered angrily, squirming wildly, trying to pull her wrists from his grip.

He dropped her wrists, stepping backwards. The grin on his face was feral.

“Such spunk for helpless little prey like you” he delighted.

“Let’s play a game.” He decided, a gleeful grin still playing on his lips.

“You’ll be little red riding hood,”

“And I’ll be the big, bad wolf.” He bared his sharp teeth at her, portraying just how wolflike he really looked.

“If you make it out of these woods before I catch you, you’re free.”

“But if I catch you, you’re mine.” He growled possessively.

“I’ll give you a little head start, it’s only fair. You’re such weak prey after all.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his posture undoubtedly relaxed.

Y/N knew he was certain of his inevitable victory.

She was sure he would win too, even with whatever ‘head-start’ he was so graciously going to give her. He’d single handedly pinned her against the tree like it was nothing, despite her using all her strength to squirm away. This ‘game’ of his was futile.

But, damn, she had to try.

She couldn’t just roll over and become someone’s whore.

She took off running, unwilling to hear him speak anymore. She thought perhaps if she ran and caught him off guard, she’d be able to put even more distance between them.

She could hear his loud laughter booming behind her, she’d never heard something so cold.

“Ten.” She heard him call, and she almost cried in response.

Ten seconds??

That’s what he called a head start?

She pushed herself harder, the muscles in her legs burning from the exertion. She wasn’t even sure the direction she was running in was the right one, she’d had no time to think. All she could do was run and hope that she reached the village in time.

“Nine.” He still sounded somewhat close.

“Eight.” His voice sounded somewhat distant now.

“Seven.” The end of the forest was nowhere in sight, but his voice was definitely fading.

“Six” she barely heard him, perhaps she’d put a decent distance between them now, she hoped.

She weaved in and out of the trees with an agility she never knew she possessed. The adrenaline pumping through her veins made everything clearer, focussed her enough to easily dodge stray roots and branches that would trip her or hinder her escape.

She wasn’t sure how long it had been, but she guessed he was probably chasing her by now. She just hoped she’d covered enough distance to escape him.

She didn’t hear him.

He was silent as he tackled her roughly to the ground.

Air was forced out her lungs in a gasp at the force of it, her dazed eyes meeting his as he pinned her roughly to the ground.

“No…no…” she breathed, tears pouring out her eyes.

He sat on her, his weight heavy on her waist, as he leaned toward her, her wrists being pushed painfully into the cold ground.

“I win.” He whispered into her ear, before licking it.

“No…” she whimpered as more tears fell.

“Yes.” He purred, nuzzling her neck again.

“You smell delightful.” He groaned again.

“P-please…” she whimpered, her chest heaving still as she gasped for air.

“And now the wolf devours it’s prey.” He growled, licking up her neck.

“You said you didn’t want to eat me!” She cried.

He chuckled, licking away a stray tear from her cheek.

“Oh, sweetheart,” He growled.

“I lied.” He grinned, as she cried out again, shaking in fear.

“However, killing you really would be a waste.” He continued.

He sat up again, keeping her arms pinned by her head still. He appraised her form again, smirking. Sukuna truly hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing something so beautiful in a long time.

“Good thing there’s more than one way to eat someone.” He chuckled.

Y/N gasped shakily as the meaning of his words dawned on her.

Sukuna pressed his lips against hers roughly, forcing his tongue between her lips. He groaned as he did, relishing how good it felt. How good she tasted.

Yes, there was more than one way to eat someone. She thought helplessly.

She wasn’t sure which way was worse.

[losingitinjersey]

It’s been three weeks since my last post - whoooops! Here’s an attempt at a summary of the last three weeks. 

Kevin, Erp, Aug and I loaded up the car and drove the 7 hour drive to CT on Sunday, December 19th.  Given the need for diaper changes and bottle feedings as well as traffic, it took us 11 hours to get there.  A lovely memory is right when we got stuck in the middle of gridlock traffic on the George Washington Bridge at 6 p.m. was when Aug decided to wake up from a nap screaming bloody murder for the next hour as we sludged through the unnecessary traffic jam.  So great!  

We spent the week with my sister’s family (five kids!) and my parents flew out from California to be there with us all and we had the most amazing time together!  Everyone but my girls were vaccinated and boosted so we felt relatively safe (as one can feel during a pandemic) but it was sosososososo amazing to see the cousins play together for the first time.  Remember, Erp is two and this is her first time getting to meet them!  She did SO well!  Crazy how my shy little girl is no longer shy at all thanks to daycare!  The youngest cousin is 5 years old so Erp was following her around and enjoying all the chaos! 

Two days after we arrived at my sister’s house we got a notification that Erp’s daycare had a Covid exposure, but on a day that she wasn’t there (though, she was there the day before).  Since we’d already mixed and mingled with everyone it was hard to isolate so we just continued on and thankfully everyone stayed healthy.  

The drive home the day after Christmas took 12 hours and we were all so grateful to finally be out of the car and home!  The original plan was that two days later I was supposed to pile up the car with the girls again to drive the four hours down to see my bff at her parents house for the week but given the Covid exposure we stayed home instead.  While I desperately miss and want to see my bff, who I haven’t seen since October 2019 for my baby shower, I did not mind not having to get back in the car.  

Not going actually ended up being the best thing since starting Tuesday Saki’s health has shown signs of decline.  My 15 year old, grumpy, best friend forever, fur baby cat has about one episode a day now where he’ll be off-balanced then stop and sit while meowing painfully.  He also hasn’t been eating, drinking, or using the litterbox normally.  I had a virtual vet visit on Wednesday, December 29th (his worst day yet) just to talk to a professional about what to do.  Since I wouldn’t have childcare until Sunday, January 2nd (when all vet clinics are closed), I wanted advice on how serious/immediate this was.  Per his advice, I ended up calling around until I was able to get a vet appointment for that Friday.  I took him in (along with my two kids since daycare was still closed from the exposure) only to find out that Saki was too aggressive/angry/threatening for them to be able to do any form of examination on him.  So they sent me home with oral sedatives and rescheduled us for a return visit on January 11th.  Basically forever away.  I straight up asked the receptionist that since the appointment is so far away that means they think he’ll last that long??? She replied that if he gets worse to call them and they’ll see about squeezing him in. Sheesh.  Thankfully, Saki seems to be acting mostly normal and I’m getting in all the cuddles and love while I can.  Every day I’m cherishing the moments I get with him knowing that the end is most likely very soon. Or maybe not!  Maybe he just has an infection or something and he’ll be with us for another 5+ years?!  He’s an indoor cat so I’m hoping that buys us more time.  Whatever happens, he knows how loved he is. He knows he’s my world.  And I am so grateful for his presence in my life.  

So, all in all, things here are good.  You know, other than navigating the world with small unvaccinated children during a pandemic while also sending one to a cesspool daycare that continues to shut down at the drop of a hat (or flurry of snow) while also working full time, but also being the only parent because your husband is busy working and gone all day every day and yet you never get a day off and are still managing everyone and everything on very little sleep while also grieving the soon to be loss of your 15 year old best friend who’s been around for everything.  That’s all :)

[the-chaotic-neutral-pansexual]

Planned Works/Ideas for October

Hello everyone, as I mentioned previously I’ve been working on some stuff. I also have been feeling very inspired as of late and will be writing some more. I wanted to get this October started off right so here is a list of some things that will be coming your way hopefully sooner than later. I don't feel comfortable giving exact dates because as I've mentioned before certain factors can cause my writing schedule to be sporadic (also why I will not be participating in kinktober) Since some ideas are more developed than others his list will be separated into three categories:

Full ideas

People/characters who will be getting works

Ideas/tropes that I want to write about

Let's Begin!

First up here are the fully developed ideas that are in progress.

Yoon Hyunsuk (Cix)

Nerd!Hyunsuk x Popular!reader (college au)

The tall, shy, handsome, boy who sits behind you in every class you share has a secret. Like many other people on campus, he was hopelessly in love with you. It began three years ago, freshman year, and every day it only got stronger. Over the years this has led him to do some… questionable things he's not a bad guy by any means he's just an awkward college boy in love. At first, it was innocent just sitting behind you in classes that you shared. He hoped that this would give him some time to gain some confidence to talk to you while still remaining close to you. He really didn’t mean to begin eavesdropping on your conversations or reading your texts over your shoulder, he just wanted to learn more about you before he approached you. But as time went on the worse he got from smelling your hair to following you around campus to lurking your socials to finally finding your dorm room. He told himself that he was just trying to return a jacket you left in class so he racked his brain for all of the information he “gathered” and remembered your room number. It was just supposed to be a quick drop off of the jacket he played out the scenario in his head a thousand times. knock on the door, tell you he picked it up when you forgot it, give it to you, and leave. But, when he knocked on the door it opened slightly you weren’t there but you left it cracked indicating that you would be back soon. The change in circumstances caused him to panic and so he decided to just go in and drop it on your bed as opposed to waiting at your door for you. As soon as he fully entered the room the door closed behind him and after folding your jacket placing it on your bed he goes to leave. Turns out you left your door cracked for a reason, he twists the knob and pulls with all his might but he can’t get it opened. The door jammed and he’s stuck in your room. Before he even gets the chance to panic he hears you right outside the door.

Request

Klaus Mikaelson (TVD/The Originals)

Cursed!KlausxSoulmate!Reader

Klaus kills a woman. Unbeknownst to him, this woman was the soulmate of a powerful witch. In revenge the witch curses him vowing that the day Klaus finds his soulmate they will be made immortal but their soul would be removed leaving an eternal one-sided soulmate connection where Klaus is completely connected to them ( can only love and desire them, unable to hurt or kill them, able to see their thoughts and feel their emotions/pain.etc) but they have no connection to him. The witch finally takes the only reverse to the spell to the grave with him and his wife leaving nobody else to break the spell. The story will center around an interesting toxic yet slightly romantic relationship between Klaus and the reader where over years they are continuously on and off again. Klaus does everything to get the reader to love and stay with him and the reader uses this to their advantage. When they’re together its great but when they’re apart things never go well. In the end, the reader can always leave him but he can never leave them so he takes any measure to keep them by his side.

Choi Soobin (TXT)

Sub!SoobinxDom catgirl!reader

The Cat Owns You Part 2

After returning home from the café Soobin you’re finally able to transform. Now being human you keep up a nice façade for the evening eating dinner and watching television peacefully. Having you around for these few hours has him believing he made the right decision after a while he took you to your room before retiring to his own for the night. He drifts off to sleep happily thinking that he found a simple way to fix his loneliness issue a cute catgirl who resides in the room beside his. Nothing could have prepared him for what would happen a few hours later. Waking up to feel his hands and legs in an uncomfortable position he tries to adjust himself but he can’t, opening his eyes to look he realizes that he’s tied to the 4 sides of his bedpost. Before he can question what’s happening he sees you making your way toward him with the collar he purchased earlier in your hands. You notice that he’s awake but continue on fastening the collar around his throat before positioning yourself to sit on him, straddling his spread body “(Y/N) what’s going on” he asks trying to sound stern but it comes out as more of a whisper as the reality of his situation really begins to set in affecting his body in a way he didn’t expect. “Shhh don’t worry I’ll take care of you” you whisper in his ear sending a shiver through his body. Every second that passes he can feel his resolve fading he knows that he wants whatever is about to happen and soon he won’t be able to say no you know this too. He quickly yet unconvincingly rushes out “ no you can’t do this” causing you to chuckle “ Yes I can, I can do whatever I want you signed the papers” before he can ask what you mean you continue “I own you”

Up next here are some muses that I will be writing about once I find the perfect ideas for them:

Garou (Genshin Impact)

Nejire Kamado (My Hero Academia)

Mina Ashido (My Hero Academia)

Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)

Kazutora Hanemiya (Tokyo Revengers)

Choi Beomgyu (TXT)

Choi Chanhee (The Boyz)

Jeong Jaehyun (NCT)

Park Seonghwa (Ateez)

Wonho (Soloist)

Sunmi (soloist)

Sana (twice)

Beelzebub (Obey Me)

Loki Laufeyson (MCU)

Buckey Barnes (MCU)

Hela Odinson(MCU)

Wanda Maximoff (MCU)

And finally here are some ideas for works (I’m thinking of making a proper prompt list but for now you can request any of these ideas with a muse from above and I will try to fulfill it. Just make sure to specify what type of story you want (fluff, smut, angst, general hcs, drabbles, etc):

Reader is an evil sorcerer and the muse is their loyal familiar

Reader is a succubus and muse is a charge that keeps summoning them

Reader is like Hades and muse is like Persephone

Female Knight reader saves prince muse

Criminal reader goes yandere for normal muse

Opposites attract the big, scary, cold reader and soft cute muse

Muse who is a twitch streamer by day and a camgirl/boy by night

Reader is a Sugar mommy and muse is one of their many sugar babies it starts off fine but then muse falls in love and wants to be readers only one

Dom reader x fem switch muse x sub male muse

Ruler reader x harem

Reader is mean to everyone but muse

Smart tsundere reader dating clingy affectionate himbo/bimbo muse

Fem Joker type reader x male Harley type muse

Reader is an engineer who finds robot muse and fixes them

Vampire queen reader and yandere muse servant who wants to be readers walking blood bag

Hero reader saves muse from a yandere and muse becomes yandere

Demon reader x angel muse

A muse who keeps trying to kill a reader that they don’t know is invulnerable reader knows muse is trying to kill them but doesn’t stop them because they think it’s cute.

[ramblesanddragons]

Under The Moonlight

(For @lemonfodrizzleart based on her wonderful Mystery Farm AU mixed with Monster Falls. I really like Jackie as an OC and I hope I did her justice. A little treat for the spooky season. Normally I believe Gargrunk Stan can’t fly but maybe in this dimension he can!) 

Words: 1967

Warnings: None! Just some fluff with a little bit of feels.

As the sun set low in the October sky Stan was trying his best to put on something nice. The wings were making it a little difficult. Maybe it would be easier to go shirtless than mess up a good flannel, but he wanted to look nice. Jackie was looking forward to this, he wasn’t going to let her down.  

With a little fashion help from Kelvin, Stan was able to get his wings through some neatly cut holes. His tail wiggled into the hole in his jeans after a few tries. Shoes were a no go but at least his hat could rest in-between the horns on his head.  

Getting ready for a date had never been so frustrating.  

It was worth it though when he saw the smile on Jackie’s face. She was floating down the stairs, well more like fluttering. Even with all the draw backs of being a monster Jackie was enjoying being able to fly. The past few days she’d practically flown all over the farm.

Her dress was an off the shoulder affair in a deep black. A bit too fancy for a moonrise picnic but it was probably easier to deal with than anything else because of her own wings. He thin tail poked out of the bottom of the dress. Stan didn’t really care if it was too fancy. She looked incredible.  

“Ready?” She asked.  

Stan motioned to the blanket and basket in his hands and Jackie looped her arm around his stony one. Ford looked up from his notes. He was currently measuring the size of Kevin’s ears. It was only due to the golden fur covering his face that his twin wasn’t blushing up a storm being that close to his crush.  

“You two be careful. I’m not sure how well any of the town folk would react to seeing you.”  

“Look I’ve been planning this date for a week, Ford. No little monster curse is going ta stop us. You shouldn’t let it stop you either.”  

Ford gave Stan a look that said, “Shut the hell up!” while Kelvin was distracted with the bone left over from his steak. Out of all of them he was rolling with this monster thing the best and seemed to embrace his wolfish side. Ford was indulging in riddles more but most of his focus was trying to find a cure. His twin needed to take a break before he burnt himself out. The occasional accidentally catnap wasn’t enough.  

Stan could bother Ford to relax later. For now, he’d let him study Kelvin in peace. Maybe it would get him to finally ask him out. The official couple squeezed out the door with a wave and began to walk out into the orchard.  

If this curse wasn’t lifted by next week, the fall apple festival they held each year would be turning into a costume festival as well. Sure, folks around town were used to the weird but even they had their limits. That was something for next week Stan to worry about. Right now Stan wanted to put all his attention on Jackie.  

Jackie, who was also barefoot, would hop every few feet trying to catch a breeze. When she did, she’d flutter around the tops of the trees for a bit and return with a handful of apples.  

“Honey, tonight’s ‘posed to be about relaxing.”  

“Oh, I know. It’s just annoying to do it in the daytime. Sun hurts my eyes,” she explained. The picked apples were placed in bags and left by the trees. They could pick them up on the walk back.  

“At least you can go out in the sun,” Stan grumbled.  

Jackie gave him a sympathetic peck on the cheek and his grumbling morphed into a happy purring noise.  

“It’s so cute when you do that.”

“Yeah, yeah just don’t tell Ford.”  

She laughed and fluttered around the trees some more before they reached their picnic spot. The hill at the end of the orchard was silhouetted by the harvest moon. Maybe he needed to take Jackie on night dates more often. It was beautiful.  

The two of them settled their blanket down and began to eat. Stan wasn’t as good of a cook as Jackie, but he had made the fanciest sandwiches he could with homemade sides. Every item had a somewhat ridiculous amount of meat in it to satisfy his new carnivore diet, but Jackie didn’t mind.  

The two of them ate and talked and laughed. Stan offered her a blanket when the wind blew but Jackie declined.  

“Apparently demons don’t get cold. It’s nice.”  

“You know you might look like a demon, but I think of you as an angel baby.” Stan said with a smile. The smile faltered as Jackie laughed.

“How long have you been wanting to use that one? Very smooth lover boy,” she teased.  

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I love you no matter what you look like! Yeesh. I try to be sweet.” He rolled his eyes playfully before remembering that no one could tell when he was rolling his eyes anymore. His eyes were currently glowing orange orbs.  

Jackie’s eyes had a reddish cat in the dark like gleam to them. They were staring deeply at him. “I appreciate. At first, I was a bit weirded out by being turned into a succubus of all things, but you haven’t made me feel weird or different. I appreciate it.”  

“Of course. You’re amazing no matter what you look like.” Stan wrapped a stony arm around Jackie, and they sat and watched the stars for a few minutes.  

“Hey. I just got a great idea. We should take advantage of this who demon and gargoyle thing while we can,” Jackie said playfully.  

Stan gulped. “Well, I haven’t really pushed any ideas since I didn’t want you thinking that you being a succubus would effect anything. I love you for more than that and-”

“Let’s go flying!”  

“That...that is not what I thought you meant.”

“Oh, that can happen later. I know you’ve had a hard time keeping your hands off me.” Jackie winked and hopped-up leaving Stan slack jawed in the dirt. She laughed and stretched her wings wide.  

“I think we could get some good air from here but maybe we should head up on the cliffs.”

“I don’t think I can fly. Too heavy,” Stan said.  

“I bet you can. If your furball and feathers of a twin can, so can you. Although just in case we probably shouldn’t start with the cliffs. Let's try from here.  

The hill wasn’t high enough to set off Stan’s heights fear, but it was one of the best places to sled on the farm. With the right wind it could be enough for a decent take off as Jackie was proving. She ran a few feet and stretched her wings, diving down to catch speed then turning up. She whooped happily as she climbed higher and higher. It almost looked like she could touch the large moon.

“Come on baby you can do it!” She shouted from the sky.  

Stan gulped. He took a deep breath and went down the hill at a run. He jumped like he saw Jackie do but then tumbled head over tail down the rest of the hill. As he finally rolled to a stop Jackie landed beside him.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Hard head remember.” For emphasis Stan tapped his head and it made stony thumping noise.  

“How about I do it with you? That might help.”  

“Jackie I... there’s something I haven’t told you.” Stan frowned, he hated admitting it. “I’m afraid of heights.”

Jackie tilted her head in confusion and then something clicked. “That’s why you get Ford to do anything that involves a ladder! That’s why you like to use the apple picking tool instead of climbing!”  

“Yeah. Pretty pathetic huh.”

“Of course not! Being afraid of heights makes sense! It’s not like humans can fly...normally that is. I just can’t believe we’ve been together this whole time and I didn’t realize it.”

“I did my best to try and hide it.”  

Jackie petted his head causing him to purr again. Her claw like nails made a scratching noise against his stone skin. “Don’t be afraid to tell me you’re afraid Stan. I know you got it in your head you’re supposed to be this tough, sturdy guy-”

“What gave you that idea?” Stan asked in faux offense. Jackie shot him a look and gestured to his gargoyle body. He chuckled and let Jackie finish her thought.

“What I was trying to say is that it’s okay to be afraid and all those other human things. You don’t have to put on an act for me.”  

Stan’s smile faltered and he took Jackie’s hand in his. “...I know.” Logically he knew that but there were times he could still hear his pa’s voice in his head telling him to be a man. Men weren’t afraid of things. Men didn’t have feelings. Men were tough as stone. That wasn’t the kind of man he was though, deep down, despite his current appearance. Sure, he was tough, but he felt all these other feelings too and he didn’t want to deny them. It was just hard sometimes. He was thankful to whatever above that Jackie was patient with him about it.  

They sat at the bottom of the hill until Stan’s head finished spinning. Then he hauled himself up.

“Let’s try again.”

“Stan, you got nothing to prove.”

“I know that but when am I ever going to have a chance like this again. With luck these wings are gone within the week.”

He trudged back up the hill and watched how Jackie took off running and caught the fall breeze in her wings. She swooped up and flapped her wings hard to get higher and higher. Waiting until the wind picked up again Stan charged down the hill on all fours. As dumb as he felt it worked and he was able to feel a lift on his body. He beat his wings as hard as he could and the ground under him disappeared. The sudden disappearance of the ground spooked him, and he stopped flapping. His stone body went tumbling again.

“Stan!”

“I’m okay. I almost got this. Stay there!”

Determined he tried one more time. This time the wind was with him as a strong gust rolled across the orchard sending leaves and some apples flying. He flapped with all his might and didn’t panic this time when he took flight. His body was heavy. He could feel the strain in his back from the effort, but it was worth it to see Jackie’s delighted face.  

“How are you doing?” She lowered herself down a few feet to meet him where he was steady.  

“Alright if I don’t look down or think about being 20 feet in the air.”  

“Come on! Just keep your eyes on me.” She took Stan’s hand and together they started to soar through the starlit sky around the farm. As terrifying as it was it was also beautiful. The two of them danced in the sky for as long as Stan’s wings could hold him.  

Landing was tricky but when they made it back to their picnic spot Stan managed to stay on both feet despite tripping. He was even able to catch Jackie in his hands as she landed.  

“That was amazing,” she said breathlessly.

“You’re amazing,” Stan responded.  

“You might not agree with that after this. Tag you’re it!” She yelled pushing him slightly. She took off into the air again.  

“Hey now hold on!” Stan laughed and shouted after her, taking off into the sky again.  

[iamtheblondestblonde]

The Clark Kent Effect

Part One

AN: So this is meant to be the beginning of a (semi short) series, depending on how well it’s received. Feedback is therefore more than appreciated and always remember I love reading tags. Feel free to message me or send me anons as well, every interaction makes my day :) 

To all my American followers: please go vote tomorrow, I don’t even live there but I still know how important it is.

Word Count: 2.9k (short boi)

Warnings: alcohol and one swear word maybe? 

Part Two

My other writing can be found here

While your costume had seemed like a great idea two days ago you now thought differently.

Technically it was a great costume, but only because you hadn’t exactly planned on needing to step out of the club to make an angry phone call. Alas here you were, legs shaking and teeth clattering because of your stupidly short dress, this situation the last nail in the coffin that would finally pronounce your disaster with Colin dead for good. You weren’t sad about it in the least, only cold. If only you’d thought of grabbing your jacket on your way outside this wouldn’t be as bad, it was the end of October and you were in New York after all, but you’d been so angry to see his caller ID on your screen that you’d stormed out without thinking, which you now deeply regretted.

Stepping back inside was like heaven and running into a wall at the same time, if said wall was made out of hot air and the smell of sweat, hairspray and alcohol. You really shouldn’t be happy about stuffy air, but at least you weren’t shivering anymore so you were going to mark it down as a success in your books. Since the restrooms were close to your right you made a quick detour, checking if everything was still where it was supposed to be.

At least your boobs hadn’t fallen out yet and you dismissed the judgy stares in the restroom as you readjusted your cleavage and reapplied your bold red lipstick. Normally you’d stare as well, not judging but usually intrigued by women who portrayed such confidence but tonight you were one of these women and you wouldn’t let anyone else ruin it. You’d earned a good night out after finally escaping Colin’s manipulative fuckboy ways and telling him to get lost for good.

So with your chin up and your shoulders straight you stepped out of the restroom, determined to find your group of friends again so you could get drunk and finally have a good time. It took a bit longer than you’d like to admit, your heels only barely giving your tiny frame a height advantage but then you finally spotted the fluffy halo of your best friend. After making sure that it was really her �� there were enough angels in this room to make any priest happy after all – you quickly made your way over to her.

Or at least you tried.

You’d only gotten a few steps in when your heel got caught in the costume of a guy dressed up as mummy – which really only consisted of his regular clothes and what you estimated to be about three rolls of toilet paper – and you stumbled. You could already see yourself in the emergency room of the closest hospital with a broken nose from crashing to the ground, blood running down your face and staining your already red dress. Perhaps you could play it off as a part of your costume but it’d still hurt and your night would definitely be over.

But none of that happened because you were saved by a very handsome Superman. He’d stood with his back to you, you’d definitely spotted his broad shoulders underneath the stretched blue fabric earlier, but he’d turned in your direction right before gravity had decided to take its toll on you. Apparently his costume was justified though, because he caught you with cat-like reflexes, wrapping his hands around your arms and pulling you back towards an upright position before anything damaging could happen.

He was a lot taller than you so the first thing you really noticed of him was his throat and perhaps you really should’ve dressed up as a vampire because you noticed that he had a very sexy throat, if that was even a thing. Your weird thoughts were interrupted by him chuckling though and your gaze quickly snapped up to meet his and you really weren’t sure if you should congratulate or scold yourself for how you’d managed to end up in his arms.

The handsome stranger was wearing glasses in true Clark Kent fashion and his hair was better than any DC artist could have dreamed of, perfectly tousled in the way that showed that he liked to run his hands through it and you’d be lying if you said that you weren’t tempted to do the same. In the dim lighting of the club you couldn’t make out the color of his eyes behind his glasses but they could honestly be yellow and he’d still be hot as fuck.

Sometime during your almost-fall your hands had ended up on his chest and you really should be embarrassed about the fact that you were practically feeling him up but somehow you couldn’t find yourself to care enough to let go. You relaxed your hands from the tight grasp they had on his shirt and instead carefully splayed them out on his chest as if you were going to push yourself off of him but not really doing so. With how you were pressed against him you could feel the heat radiating through his shirt and how firm his body was, his muscular built more and more evident with every passing second. His hands had started to wander as well, moving up from the side of your arms towards the top of your shoulders, the size of them burning itself into your mind as you just stared at each other.

If one were to ask you what day it was right this moment, you honestly wouldn’t be able to answer them despite everyone in this club dressed in Halloween costumes. Mozart himself could have returned from the dead to perform “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” with a string quartett in the middle of this dancefloor and you probably wouldn’t have noticed right now, too caught up in the eyes of this handsome stranger.

When he reached up with one of his hands to adjust the little devil’s horns on top of your head you blinked in surprise, finally snapping out of your daze.

“Oh my God I’m so sorry, I totally didn’t mean to crash into you but my heel got caught and-“, you began to ramble, your sense of common decency finally kicking in but he only laughed and since neither of you had taken a step backwards yet you could feel it rumbling through his chest.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind having beautiful girls quite literally falling for me”, he joked and if he were any other guy you probably would’ve scoffed at his choice of words but somehow the boyish charm worked well for him and you found yourself grinning as you came up with a response.

“Mmm let’s hope this isn’t a normal occurrence for you because I’m not a fan of getting caught in traffic.” You finally found the strength to take a, very reluctant, step back, untangling yourself from his grasp and dropping your hands but still smiling up at him. He definitely had the potential to be your catch for the night. You could really use the distraction after all.

Your blissful thoughts were interrupted by someone tugging at your arm though, a look over your shoulder revealing a pouting angel dressed in white and with a bouncing halo. It seemed like Emily had found you instead after you’d gotten distracted by your hero.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over the place for you”, she whined and you could tell by her slurred words that she’d gotten quite the head start while you were outside on your phone as she was well on her way to get plastered. Otherwise she never would’ve interrupted a conversation with a hot guy either, it was an unspoken wingwoman rule after all.      

“Come on, Dana just brought a new round of shots and you need to catch up!” And with that she tightened her grip on your wrist and pulled you away. You barely managed to tell the handsome stranger to come find you later before he disappeared between the writhing bodies and was out of your sight.

Way too many shots later you found yourself on the dance floor, intoxicated and having a great time.

Your thoughts hadn’t wandered to Superman in quite a while, too consumed by alcohol and the thumping beat of the music, until you spotted him leaning against the banister of the top floor, drink in one hand and definitely watching you. Again, this would be creepy if he were anyone else but in this case it only made you appreciate the current sensual song even more, your eyes never leaving his as you moved your body to the beat. You were planning on going home with him later either way, you could tease him a little more before then, show him what he could have if he played his cards right.

He was still watching you a couple of songs later when your throat had gotten dry and your heels were starting to grow uncomfortable. In need of a break you pointed towards the bar, hoping that he’d understand and when he nodded you smiled brightly, excusing yourself from your group of friends so you could grab some water. You were done drinking for tonight, much more exciting things laying ahead of you and you wanted to be sober for them.

Water was apparently a welcome change from the regular orders the bartenders got because you were served immediately, a cool bottle set in front of you seconds later. You checked over your shoulder before taking a sip, spotting your Superman as he made his way towards you with a smile, one you returned before turning back around to climb on the stool that had just freed up so you could give your feet a well-deserved break.

When you felt a tap on your shoulder you fully expected it to be the hot guy, your most dazzling smile instantly on your lips as you turned around but it quickly fell off your face as you realized who it really was.

When you were younger you’d often imagined yourself in this moment, thought of what you’d say when you’d finally see him again after all this time apart. A small part of you had pined after him for years and fantasies of how your eyes would meet from across the room and how everything else would stop mattering had filled your daydreams once upon a time. But as you looked at him now there were no butterflies, no fireworks and you could still hear some remix of “Monster Mash” blaring over the speakers, the world was definitely still turning.

Perhaps you’d built up what had been between the two of you in your mind in the years of his absence, put him on a pedestal – he deserved to be one though because through everything he had been nothing short of a great guy – but as you looked at him you realized that all that was in the past. There was just a warm afterglow of what once was. As you looked at him now, there was absolutely no doubt that you didn’t love Anthony Beauvillier anymore.

“I wasn’t sure if it was really you, but wow Y/N you look great”, his familiar voice met your ears and it took you a second to realize that he’d slipped into French, the way the two of you had done countless times as teenagers.

You probably resembled a fish with the way you were opening and closing your mouth without saying anything but you couldn’t help yourself. Seeing Tito in this club had hit you like a fright train and you hadn’t expected it at all, which only made it worse.

Almost 20 Million people lived in New York State and over 8.3 Million in New York City alone. Brooklyn housed well over 500.000 people as well and yet you still managed to run into your ex in this club, despite the both of you growing up in Québec. If you were any good at math you would calculate the probability of this happening but you’d always sucked at it and it really wouldn’t help your situation either. You reminded yourself that you both worked here now but that was absolutely beside the point.

Before you managed to embarrass yourself even further you shook your head to clear your thoughts, smiling at the guy who had once held your heart before making the break into the NHL. He was dressed as a boy scout, with medals pinned to his shirt, the scarf thingy and everything and the costume was so incredibly him that you immediately felt catapulted back into your teenage years. It was easy to fall back into your old routine then.

“Oh yeah, do you think your Mom would still speak so highly of me if she saw me dressed as a slutty devil?”, you joked and he threw his head back in laughter, taking you even more by surprise when he threw his arms around you in a hug. It was a bit awkward with you sitting on the bar stool and all and it made you realize that he himself didn’t even feel the same anymore, his career of being a professional athlete shaping his body into a much more bulkier version of the one you were used to.

As you looked over his shoulder you caught the gaze of your Superman and your thoughts immediately returned to him. What must he be thinking of you hugging another stranger at the bar after telling him to come see you? The confusion was evident of his face, a crease between his eyebrows giving his thoughts away and you noticed how he scrunched up his nose in a very cute way so you immediately pulled back from Tito, reaching up to adjust your horns as a disguise for your sudden movement.

“So, did you finally manage to make your dreams of living and working in New York City come true?”, he asked as he took a step closer to let someone else pass by and you nodded, amazed that he still remembered after all these years. He really was one of the good guys.

“Yep, I finally made it, although it’s not as glamorous as I thought it would be. But maybe that’s only us working class people, I’m sure it’s a lot different in your line of work.” Thankfully he picked up on your teasing and wasn’t insulted, only laughing even more as he finally had the space to move next to you so he could look at the crowd as well.

“Speaking of work..”, he trailed off as he switched back to English and to your utter disbelief he waved your Superman over. Superman was reluctant to move at first, that much you could tell by looking at him, and since you watched him extra closely you were probably the only one to catch him flinching a little as Tito threw his arm around his shoulders but his confused expression was obvious as he looked between the two of you.

“Y/N, this is my teammate and best friend Mat, I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Mat, this is my ex Y/N. You’ve also heard of her.”

Of course you’d heard of Mathew Barzal, last year’s Calder winner and rising star among the NHL’s elite players but it seemed like you were a victim of the Clark Kent Effect because you hadn’t recognized him at all with the glasses on.

Now your Superman had a name but the only thing you could focus on were the words “best friend”. No matter how hot Mat was and how much you’d wanted him before, very much imagining him helping you out of your tight dress, you couldn’t do that to Tito.

Mat seemed to come to the same realization as you because he plastered what could only be described as a business smile on his face, extending his hand for you to shake. You took it, relishing in the way his warm palm felt against yours and allowing yourself to enjoy his touch one last time before letting go and smiling at him with sad eyes as you introduced yourself.

Tito stayed to order a drink, pulling Mat and you into a conversation and therefore preventing your escape and while that was already bad enough in itself, he unknowingly took your breath away when he asked Mat:

“Hey, did you ever find that hot klutz you told me about? The one that fell into your arms earlier?”

Tito had his back towards the both of you so he didn’t see the way Mat looked down at you with sad eyes as well before pulling himself together and responding:

“Yeah, but turns out she’s not available after all.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur, you’d returned to alcohol after saying goodbye to Tito and Mat and promising Tito to stay in touch, so you barely remembered climbing into an uber hours later and only really came to your senses when you chugged a water bottle in your kitchen.

“Wait, weren’t you planning on going home with that hot Superman you mentioned earlier? What happened to him?”, Emily asked from her spot on the couch, her usual spot after a night out since your apartment was closer.

“I guess he left”, you answered, not really willing to go into any details right now.

“Aw, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

And wasn’t that the truth.

[spencers-dria]

Congratulations on almost 150 love! So I just recently watched Suburban Gothic and I fell in love. So I was linking maybe you do a Raymond X Reader? Raymond and reader get a case but Raymond doesn’t know Reader is pregnant ((they are married for about 2-3 years)). Raymond is confused as to way every ghost he encounters is over protecting his wife the reader, becuase I like to believe spirits can sense things like souls of babies and such. So when the evil spirit goes to harm Reader the spirits block and protect her. After they finish she finally admits she’s 1-2 months pregnant and wanted to surprise him. The baby will be born on Halloween and gets Raymond’s abilities. Maybe Reader and Raymond also get a black cat? If not Halloween then I was thinking maybe reader gives birth on Friday the 13th under a blue moon in October? Just a thought!

Little Pumpkin

🎉150 Follower Celebration Day 5!

Raymond x fem reader

Pure Freaking FLUFF

Warnings: mentions of spirits/hauntings, pregnancy and birth related topics

A/N: due to the timeline covered in the request I couldn’t fit it all in but would be willing to consider covering the rest in a part two if you’re interested and enjoy this one. I hope this is what you were looking for and that you enjoy it!

—————————————————————————

The first time it happened, Raymond thought nothing of it. It was a normal house call, and the family had been haunted for months. The house had a chill, but this was expected in February weather. Y/N had descended into the basement first, per their usual routine with Raymond following cautiously behind, peeking over her shoulder in a child-like fashion. That’s when it started. Lights flickered, their candles blew out by a mysterious draft, and just spooky business in general. They knew immediately there were dark spirits residing there. A dark tendrils of smoke emerged on the steps, creeping their way towards Y/N and wrapping around her legs. What they didn’t expect was the second presence that appeared. The smoky fingers quickly withdrew. They couldn’t see much, but they could hear the fight occurring around them. They waited on the basement steps until things calmed down, before a faint figure of a young woman appeared, shooting a quick wink to Y/N before disappearing back into the darkness of the basement. Raymond and Y/N shared a quick look of confusion before checking the basement and the rest of the home for stragglers and were surprised to find it now “ghost-free.

As they walked out hand in hand, Raymond commented “you know I can honestly say that was a first for me.”

“What? Having a ghost wink at you?”

“Oh no. I was quite the phantom’s man back in my single days. It was just my first time going into a dark, spooky basement without screaming like a little girl.”

The sincerity in his statement only made Y/N giggle harder. She loved her quirky, charming husband.

Raymond was lucky enough to have a family business, which meant he and Y/N always worked as a team. A few years into the marriage and they had really hit their stride. He would do a lot of the research on the location, past owners, local legends, etc. and whatever else he could find to figure out just what it was they’d be walking into. But Y/N, she was the “muscle” so to speak. She was much braver than he, and he loved her for it. They would take time to sit down with the owners together and do their best to determine just what was plaguing that home. Sure they’d find the occasional raccoon in the attic or something of the like, but surprisingly most of their calls were genuine. Together they ran a very successful and popular business.

——————————————————————————

The second time it happened was around the end of March. It was starting to warm up again, which mean Raymond was back in his rompers and boots, which Y/N loved. For some reason unbeknownst to him, she could not keep her hands to herself when he wore them. They had just begun to ascend the stairs of a very worn down home. Y/N kept teasing him, turning around to blow kisses or wiggle her hips a bit more than usual with each step. She got a little too distracted, tripping on a loose board and falling straight back. Before she could topple straight into him, she seemed to stop in midair, before slowly returning to an upright position.

“Was that- did they just catch you?”

She nodded, speechless.

They shared a look of surprise before continuing up to the attic. An hour or so later they had helped the spirit to find a lost heirloom it simply could not move on without.

That night in bed, Raymond simply couldn’t shut his mind off. Something was going on and it seemed to center around Y/N. He curled up tighter in his alien bed sheets, which he insisted on keeping despite a few eye rolls from the missus. Raymond turned on his side to find his wife also wide awake.

“Can’t sleep huh?” she asked, reaching out to stroke a thumb over his cheek.

He closed his eyes and hummed and the sweetness of her touch before opening his eyes again to meet her gaze.

“Yeah there’s just a lot on my mind lately. The ghosts have been- weird around us. Well, around you really. The kind ones never harm us but, they seem to be going out of their way to help you. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. You’re absolutely wonderful.”

He says the last statement so matter-of-factly there’s no doubt in her mind of his sincerity. She scoots closer until their noses are touching, as she continues to rub her hand across his face and through his hair.

“I was waiting for the right time to tell you” she whispers, a mysterious twinkle in her eye. She takes his hand and lays it gently over her belly, his long delicate fingers splayed over her skin.

“You’ve got a little one on the way.”

His brows knit in confusion. Surely she can’t mean…

“Raymond, you’re gonna be a daddy.”

His eyes grow big as his mouth opens, but no words come out. His face reads of pure adoration and joy, as he looks down, rubbing his fingers across what is soon to be her baby bump. When his eyes return to hers, they both share laughter of pure joy and disbelief.

“You’re sure? There’s really a baby in there?”

He stares at her belly with such awe. Y/N already knows he is so in love with their child. She couldn’t ask for a better father for her baby.

After much kissing and many giggles, Y/N rolls over as Raymond pulls her back against his chest, snuggling into her shoulder. He grabs her hand and places it back on her belly, before sliding his gently on top. They fall asleep together with sweet dreams of a future family.

———————————————————

Now that the secret is out things have gotten quite interesting. The spirits have been much more blunt with both of them. They were getting unsolicited but much appreciated advice from the most unexpected places.

An old woman haunting her granddaughter's house told them all the best foods and vitamins to help nourish the baby while still in the womb.

The spirit of a farmer’s wife told them all about the best birthing positions.

Spirit’s of two young ladies, sisters, helped teach them about the different options between breast feeding, pumps, and formula.

Several delightful young girls haunting a school have them lots of good ideas for names.

—————————————————————

They found out from the doctor that they’d be due in October, and the couple was absolutely ecstatic. A Halloween birthday for their first born. They couldn’t ask for a more perfect way to start their family.

Raymond began shopping accordingly as soon as he received the news. This included baby onesies which read: wicked cute, little pumpkin, and baby boo. Y/N just knew he’d go even more overboard with the newborn pictures.

“Look at this one though!”

“Raymond we have more baby clothes than they will ever be able to wear!”

He held up a little hat, knit look like a pumpkin, with a little green stem and leaves on top. As he held it up to his face, he gave his wife the saddest of puppy dog eyes.

“The hats pretty cute.” She leaned in and kissed his nose. “But you’re cuter. This is the last one though, Raymond. I mean it!”

It wasn’t.

—————————————————————-

Then one day it happened. They were helping with a haunting of a local business owner. Once again, the spirit was giving some input on what to expect, since they’re expecting.

“Oh and don’t worry, it shouldn’t take too long before you’re able to tell them apart.”

The wide eyed and confused glance shared between the couple told the haunt all it needed to know.

“Oh I’m sorry. I thought you knew… you’re having twins!”

After the initial shock and excitement wore off, Raymond turned to his wife with the biggest smirk.

“Looks like we’ll need more baby clothes after all.”

[crankynewt]

Chapter Three - You Said Forever

Another Love Series Masterlist

Pairing(s): Regulus Black x Fem!Reader, Remus Lupin x Fem!Reader

Song: driver’s license - Olivia Rodrigo

Warnings: Angst, shoddy timeline, swearing, (I think that’s it??).

Word Count: 2.8k

Masterlist

Author’s Note: I made an angst series using sad songs, ofc I had to use driver’s license eventually! Also, although the characters have gotten a bit older, I’m still using Andrew Garfield and Timmy Chalamet as the face claims! I hope y’all enjoy this chapter, it’s a big one!!

(Neither gif is mine, all credit to the creators!)

If the decrepit walls of 12 Grimmauld Place could talk, they would tell the tales of misery and anguish. The house had not seen much happiness since it’s construction, especially during the period Walburga, Orion, and their children inhabited it. It was only following the deaths of all of Sirius’ family that he took up residence there with you when the anguish was displaced with joy, if only for a short period. It’s no wonder that you moved to a cabin in the middle of nowhere with Remus following the events of October 31st.

Standing in the front entry once more, the ghosts haunting the dwelling seemed to be whispering unintelligible warnings against proceeding further into the house. You could hear the shrieking of Walburga’s painting upstairs, a familiar nuisance that had your blood boiling in an instant. Your husband’s arm draped protectively across shoulders as he rubbed soothing circles with his thumb was the only thing keeping you sane at that moment in time. 

Through the open door at the end of the hall you could see the face of Sirius Black, the light in his eyes slowly returning as he spots two of his favourite people in the world. He quickly stood, rushing out the door to embrace you both in a warm hug as you dropped your trunks to the floor. He held the both of you close and tight, afraid that should he let go, he would wake up alone in his cell once more. 

The Order reuniting was the perfect distraction for both you and your husband, your recent unemployment resulting in a sense of unease in both your minds. Luckily, both Sirius and yourself had inherited enough money that you needn’t worry about working, but the void that your children left when they returned to Hogwarts the following year was certainly hard to fill. Summer break couldn’t come soon enough for any of you. 

Towards the end of that summer the Weasleys came to stay, Molly and Arthur bringing their four youngest, meaning that mischief lay just around every corner. About a week after their arrival was when Hermione showed up, the same day that Moody had taken a small group to retrieve Harry from the Dursleys.

Hearing the opening door, you rushed from the kitchen where the meeting had been taking place to see that Arthur had returned with the young girl who he’d picked up from her muggle household.

“ Professor (Y/L/N)!” She smiled, lugging her cart behind her with one hand while the other cradled her ginger cat. 

“Oh please, Hermione, I’m not your teacher anymore.” You said. “(Y/N) is fine.” You knew the girl had seen you as a role model, both academically as a skilled teacher but also following the story Harry had detailed to her about how you’d worked for the Order to relay Death Eater secrets to them. You can still remember the slap across the head she’d given Ron after he let her secret slip during class, the young girl embarrassed that you knew how she idolized you.

“The rest of the kids are just upstairs if you want to join them, Ginny will show you to the room you’re sharing.  Harry should be getting here in about half an hour, and dinner will be at six-thirty!” You explained, the girl smiling as she carefully let Crookshanks down to the floor before she dragged her case up the stairs behind her.

Returning to the table, you sat in the seat across from your husband as you shared a tight-lipped smile. The two of you had decided that it was probably best to maintain a level of professionalism around your fellow Order members, the pair of you keeping all talk of your relationship outside of the meetings. These gatherings, however, continued to consist of endless bickering over the topics of Harry and Voldemort, the only subtle comfort you’d found during the evening had been Crookshanks crawling upon your lap for a snooze.

“I’m just saying that we can’t risk telling Harry about this, it’ll just be putting him in more danger and we never know who’s listening.” You said. “I mean, look at Pettigrew! He hid in your house for years without anyone knowing! Who knows what he’s shared with ‘You Know Who’!”

“Yes, but there aren’t exactly unregistered animagi running around everywhere, (Y/N).” Sirius remarked. 

“Says the unregistered animagus to the other unregistered animagus.” You snapped, glaring at your in-law from across the table.

You forced your mouth shut after that, not wanting to continue bickering with your friends, letting your thoughts wander until Sirius’ comment forced it’s way back to the front of your mind. You weren’t exactly sure as to why it was bothering you so much. Even after the meeting had concluded and you were the last one in the kitchen, baking cookies for the teens to snack on the following days, you couldn’t shake an odd feeling. As if there was something that your subconscious had registered that your conscious mind hadn’t yet comprehended. 

It was only when you turned to grab the tinfoil from the cupboard behind you that a cold sweat found your body, your mind finally registering what you’d missed when something caught the corner of your eye. Maybe you hadn’t noticed it because you didn’t want to believe it, or maybe it was that part of you realized just how long it would take for this shock to fully register.

“You must think I’m stupid,” You began, refusing to turn away from the dough you were scooping onto the cookie sheet, “or maybe you’re still just as arrogant as you were in school.”

You didn’t receive a response right away, causing both a wave of relief and disappointment to wash over you at your incorrect suspicion. But that all went away when you heard a shifting sound and the screeching of a chair.

“What gave me away?” A voice called from behind you in a smug tone you’d heard countless times many years ago.

“Oh please, Regulus.” You said, finally working up the courage to turn around as you fought desperately to conceal your emotions. He was older now, crinkles reaching the corners of his eyes, and his previously neat clothes were now battered, torn, and bloodstained, but apart from that he looked just as he did when he walked out the door years ago. “We were married - I know you better than you know yourself.”

He gave a silent chuckle as his smirk became a tiny smile and he looked towards the floor. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as a strong, unnamable tension continued to grow between you. While you expected an explanation, Regulus seemed to have anticipated a much happier reaction from you. 

“What, you’re not happy to see me?” Regulus commented, his confusion continuing to build at your indifference to his sudden appearance. “I’m still your husband, you can’t spare me a smile, at the very least?”

That’s when it hit you - he doesn’t know. Regulus, or Crookshanks, rather, hadn’t heard anybody mention that you’d moved on. It must have been some luck or twisted fate that he’d never been in the room when your relationship had been mentioned, which means he also doesn’t know about Teddy. But does he know about Archie and Cassie? Surely he would’ve asked about them immediately if he was aware.

“You’ve been gone for a very long time.” You said, your bitter tone contrasting the quietness of your voice, yet your volume grew with each word until you were shouting. “You abandoned me, how dare you show up now and expect me to welcome you back into my life with open arms. Do you have any idea what I have been through the past sixteen years?! You have no fucking clue exactly what you left me to deal with! And now you sit here with that smug expression, daring to call yourself my husband and expecting me to forgive you for the hell you put me through?!”

Regulus sat there with his mouth opening and closing, the first time you’d ever seen the quick-witted boy speechless. You could see the hurt in his emerald eyes as his mind desperately searching for something, anything to say. But you never got the chance, as the door opening as a third voice filled the room.

“Honey, it’s starting to get late, I think you should come to - dear god.” 

Both your and Regulus’ heads snapped towards the over of the voice, only for your eyes to meet your other husband. It didn’t take long for Regulus to process why Lupin was calling you “honey” and exactly where his comment was going, his eyes darting between the two of you over and over again, before a sigh escaped him.

“So that’s why.” He said, leaning further back into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “How long was I gone before you and the werewolf started -”

“Don’t!” You bit, probably a bit too loud because that was what finally caught the attention of two sets of ears upstairs. In the long, dark hall, two doors opened and two sets of eyes stared at each other from across the way. The eldest and youngest of the Black men eventually made their way down the stairs together, careful to be quiet as they attempted to discern what the voices in the kitchen were arguing about.

“There is a lot more going on than you realize, you can’t just expect everything to go back to normal after so long. Now if the two of you would stop bickering like children we can discuss everything like adults.” They could hear Remus say, presumably attempting to diffuse the situation considering how level-headed the man typically is. 

There was no sound as Sirius slowly peeked his head through the already open door, utterly disbelieving the sight before his eyes as his shocked exclamation broke the eerie silence.

“Holy shit!” 

“What?!” Archie gasped from behind him, squeezing into the room behind Sirius and peering over his shoulder to see a face that he’d only ever seen in photos before.

Regulus’ eyes widened at the sight of the young Black, clearly seeing so much of himself in the fifteen year-old boy. You being pregnant when he left definitely wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities, you were married after all, and suddenly a lot of your anger towards him seemed justified. 

“Is that my… Were you…”  He trailed off, unable to find the words he wanted to say as his mind still processed this new information.

Remus suddenly covered his shaking head with the palm of his hand, quickly exiting the room and heading out the front door to get some air. He didn’t want to watch Regulus steal his wife and his kids away from him - he just couldn’t.

“Fuck.” You cursed under your breath, holding your own head in your hands as you attempted to make sense of the insanity around you. “Archie, go back upstairs, I’ll be up in just a minute.”

“But-” Your son didn’t get to finish his protest, the look in your eyes when your head shot up to look at him scared him into compliance. In his entire life, he’s never seen that look of utter fury, especially not from you. He quickly left the room, anxious to fill his sister in on everything that had just gone down.

“Sirius, please deal with your brother while I go find my husband.” You breathed, not sticking around to hear a response as you made your way down the hall.

“Now where,” Sirius began, pulling out the chair at the head of the table and quickly sinking into it, “have you been?”

“I was the cat.” Regulus stated simply, the smirk he typically wore working its way back onto his face.

“You were Hermione’s cat?!” Sirius laughed, finding the irony of another “dead” person in his life winding up as being one of the trio’s pets. “Maybe we need to take a look at Harry’s owl.”

But the humour of the situation didn’t last very long, both their faces quickly falling as reality gained their attention once more. 

“I can’t believe I have a son…” Regulus trailed off, still in utter disbelief about the existence of the boy who looks exactly like him.

“And a daughter.” Sirius added, his brother’s eyes widening to saucers once more. “Twins, to be exact. Arcturus and Cassiopeia.”

“What’re they like?” He asked, desperate to learn more about the children he’d never known existed. Of all the things Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked about around him, they couldn’t have mentioned his children at least once?

“They’re perfect - don’t know where they get it from, probably somewhere on (Y/N)’s side.” Sirius said, a small smile forming as he talked about the kids he adored so much. “They’re both in Slytherin, just about to go into their sixth year. Archie is the quieter one, just like you were, while Cassie is a lot more extroverted and even joined the quidditch team her first year.”

“And (Y/N)...” Regulus suddenly grew solemn again, letting out a disappointed breath as he looked away to a random point in the room. “I need to win her back.”

“Regulus, I- I don’t think you can.” Sirius said, causing his brother’s head to whip back around to him, fury written all over his face. “Remus and her have been together for years, that’s not something that’ll just go away. He raised your children with her and they also have another son together, Teddy.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Just give up?!” He snapped, a sinking feeling beginning to set in as he began to realize just how difficult getting you back to himself will end up being. 

“What’re you supposed to do? You’re supposed to get to know and form a relationship with the children who’ve thought you were dead their entire lives!” Sirius said. “And maybe you’ll establish a new relationship with (Y/N) again, one as co-parents. But her and Remus have both been to hell and back, so please, just promise me you won’t go about trying to sabotage their marriage.”

“But what about our marriage?”

Remus couldn’t hear any of the typical sounds of busy London that night, he was too anxious and all that he could pick up were the sounds of his heavy breathing. He was so distracted, in fact, that he didn’t notice you quietly slipping through the front door or sitting down beside him until you leaned your head on his shoulder. 

“How’d he come back?” Remus asked, wondering just what had happened to tear his life apart. 

“He was Hermione’s cat.” You said, your voice soft and sorrowful. “Turns out the Marauders weren’t the only unregistered animagi at Hogwarts. I’m just embarrassed it took me so long to figure it out, I knew it was his patronus but I guess I just didn’t want it to be true.”

“What does this mean for us?” Remus asked the dreaded question looming in his mind.

“What do you mean ‘what does this mean for us?’ Why would this change anything?” You asked in disbelief, raising your head from his shoulder to look at him.

“But he’s Archie’s and Cassie’s father-”

“So are you! You’re also Teddy’s dad.”

“And you were married. He was your husband first.” Remus added, gazing at you with a look of nothing but misery. “We were at Hogwarts together, I saw how utterly obsessed the both of you were with each other for years. You never even spared me a second glance, the only reason you even knew I existed was because I was friends with his brother… I’m not even mad about it, you should be with whoever you want to be with, and that’s Regulus. You’ve always deserved someone better than me-”

“Now you listen to me Remus John Lupin.” You began, your husband flinching at the use of his full name, something that you only did when you were angry. “You are who I want to be with, not Regulus; there’s no one better than you. If anything, I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you. Yes, we were married first, but that was for less than a year and happened seventeen years ago! We’ve been together for fourteen years, Remus, you’re my life now. I loved him in the past but he abandoned his family, you’re my life now and the one I want to grow old with. He might be Archie and Cassie’s father, but you’ll always be their dad.”

None of your eyes were dry by the end of your confession and you both spent the next several minutes just holding each other, relishing in the fact that the both of you were going to be okay. 

“Let’s go to bed, yeah?” You said, Remus nodding in response as the pair of you stood up. “We can deal with the rest tomorrow, Sirius can handle it for now.”

A/N: Okay, so I don’t personally believe the theory that Regulus never died and was actually Crookshanks, but it was what worked for this story so that’s what we’re going with! I’m so grateful for all the support this series has gotten, you guys are the best!

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[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

An Unforgettable Halloween | Luke Patterson

Requested by anon:  hiiiii! can i do a jatp luke x reader imagine where it’s halloween and reader runs into Luke and they spend the whole day making Luke forget he’s dead? thanks! <3 love your writing by the way

A/N: Thank you for this request, anon! I really enjoyed writing it! I hope you like it!! Idk why I always need to have the reader and Luke/Charlie singing together, but here ya go anyway. The song used is Favorite Place by All Time Low. :) 

Pairing: Luke x fem!reader

Warnings: fluff

Words: 4,447

Halloween. It’s never been my favorite holiday. My poor, feeble heart can’t handle all the scares and creepy stuff. And besides, it’s over commercialized, in my opinion. Capitalism just needed another reason to exploit a holiday. My best friend, Ava,  tells me I hate the holiday because it reminds me of two years ago when a Halloween party traumatized me for the rest of my life. “Just because Brent made that day terrible, doesn’t mean the day will forever be terrible, Y/N,” she’d always say. Though that might be true, I still like to believe that’s not the only reason why I  hate the holiday. “Just come with me to the party tonight, and you’ll see it’s not as bad as you think it is!” We’re on FaceTime while I’m doing homework and she’s trying to figure out what to wear to the annual Halloween party at Charlotte the popular girl’s house. Another reason to hate the holiday. Charlotte Parks is the typical popular girl trope in this story. Pretty, popular with the guys, a cheerleader. The cliché. “I don’t think I’m gonna do that, Av,” I say whilst tucking my pencil behind my ear and staring down the phone in front of me, balancing against my backpack on the end of my bed. “You know Charlotte and I don’t mix well together.” That’s true. Charlotte has always despised me, God knows why. For some reason unknown to me, she always has to find a way to ruin my life. “Her house is so big, you won’t even see her!” Ava reasons from her walk-in closet before walking back onto the screen, another dress in her hand. This one is a black bodycon number with a white collar at the top and fringes at the sleeves. “How about this one?” “That’s very Wednesday Adams!” I exclaim with a wide smile on my face, to which I receive a very impressed nod from my best friend. “You know Bobbi’s coming tonight, Av. Can’t cancel on her!” Roberta’s my cousin of 13, and she’s one of my best friends, no matter how lame that sounds. We’ve always been pretty good pals, since we’re the only girls in the family. We kind of had to stick together against the testosterone of our other cousins. She’s not actually coming tonight, but I needed a good excuse to get out of this party. “Take her with you!” she yells both excited and kind of desperate at the same  time. “Ooh! How about I wear my pleather pants with, like, a black body and cat ears?!” She disappears into the wardrobe again. “She’s 13, Av! I’m not going to take her to a high school party!” I yell back whilst shaking my head in disappointment. “Wear whatever you want, Ava. I’m sure you’ll look amazing.” She appears into the picture again, her pleather pants halfway her butt and her bra on show. “Hey, is that my bra?!” I recognize that black lace with the gold detailing down the bust anywhere and I’ve lost that bra three weeks ago. “What? No! This is mine!” she says, but I can tell she’s lying. “You are unbelievable, Av!” I shake my head, grinning at my best friend. “I’m gonna have to go though. Send me a snap of  your outfit once you’ve chosen!” She nods her head in response, walking up closer to her phone, which she had balanced somewhere on her drawers. “I really can’t convince you to come?” Her expression has suddenly turned serious. She really is bummed I don’t want to come out, but I don’t care. I can’t care. This is for my own good. At least then, I don’t have to see Charlotte. Or Brent. “I’m really sorry, Ava.... Maybe next year, yeah?” She sighs mournfully before nodding her head. “Have fun, okay? And be careful!” A smile appears on her face again. “I will, babes. Have fun with Bobbi!” She offers me a wave, which I return before yelling ‘bye’ and pressing the red button on my phone screen. Lying to my best friend is not my favorite thing to do, but she wouldn’t shut up when she found out what I’m actually gonna be doing. With a sharp exhale, I crawl off my bed and head downstairs where my parents are getting ready for their little get-together with their friends. Dad’s dressed in a pin-stripe suit, a fake mustache stuck on his upper lip and his hair gelled back tightly whilst mom’s wearing a black dress with a deeply cut V-neck and a large slit down the side. Gomez and Morticia Addams. Very spooky. “Don’t you two look dashing,” I compliment, watching them from the middle of the stairs, sitting down. Mom shoots me a kind smile as she fixes her slick hair. “What are you gonna do tonight, sweetie?” Dad asks, tightening his tie. “Probably gonna go get some food and watch some movies,” I shrug, placing my head in my hand, my elbow resting on my knee. “You know, the use.” Dad exhales sharply, smiling sympathetically. “Don’t give me that look, dad.” “I’m sorry, sweets. But I just wish you would act like a seventeen-year-old instead of an eighty  year old.” I scoff at his statement. We had this discussion last year too. Both of them know what happened and why it’s so hard for me to enjoy this day. But they still give me shit for it. “I’m gonna have plenty of fun by myself. Even more so than if I did go to the stupid party,” I reason with him. He raises his hands in defeat before turning to his wife. “Just make sure the kids get their candies, yeah?” mom says instead, climbing a couple of stairs to press a kiss to my head. “I love you,” she whispers and heads down again. “Love you too. Have fun, guys.” Dad comes up to kiss me too before heading to the door with mom. With his hand on the doorknob, he looks back at me. “You know we only want you to be happy, right?” he says. I nod my head, offering him a smile. “I love you, sweets.” He walks out and shuts the door behind him, leaving me alone in the empty house. I sigh deeply before heading down and grabbing my Vans. Once they’re on my feet, I grab my wallet and exit the house. The cool October air hits my sweater-clad arms, sending a chill down my spine. As my feet tread down the pavement, my mind wanders to this day two years ago. Around this time, everything seemed normal. I was happy and excited to get to the Charlotte Parks Halloween extravaganza with my boyfriend Brent. We’d picked out a great couples’ costume. He was a wolf, and I was dressed as Red Riding Hood. I’d even taken the liberty to go all out with makeup and put a slash near my eye as though I’d been attacked by the wolf. Ava was a fan of that costume, more than Brent was. But when we neared the end of the night, everything crumbled down into shreds of sadness and anger. The residue of that anger wells up again until it’s knocked out of me when I bump into someone, making me stumble backwards. I would’ve fallen on my ass if it wasn’t for the hands capturing my arms to keep me from doing so. “I am so sorry, I--” I stop in my tracks as I look up into the gorgeous green eyes that belong to the attractive brunette that saved me from landing on the cold pavement. “A-are you okay?” he asks, letting go of me. “I--wait…” He furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “You can see me? And you can touch me?” That’s the weirdest question I’d ever gotten. My eyebrows knit together now too, trying to figure out what’s happening and why this boy is so confused about our entire interaction. “Uhm, yeah? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do with people?” “No. I mean -- yeah, but I’m not a person, technically,” he replies in a mumble. He cautiously looks up at me again. “I’m a ghost, actually.” I let the words sizzle through my brain until it decides to send me into a fit of laughter. “Right, yeah, it’s Halloween. Ghosts. I get it. Good one,” I say between laughs, patting the boy’s shoulder, which only sends him to more confusion. To be fair, he doesn’t feel like a normal person. His arms don’t feel like they’re made of flesh and blood, but rather something light and airy. He gapes at me with this inquisitive look on his face, which calms down the laughter abruptly. “You’re not really a ghost, are you?” I ask, just to be certain. “I am, actually…” he mutters and jams his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. “Me and my bandmates died in 1995 and this girl, Julie, brought us back as ghosts… She’s the only one who could see us… Until now,” he looks up at me with hope and confusion written all over his face. “But she can’t touch us… Are you sure you’re not dead either?” I snort at his last question. “Kinda wish I was today,” I blurt out. My eyes widen after the words left my mouth. “That sounds way too dark…” I chuckle, and the boy does too, but I think it’s more out of awkwardness than finding it funny. “Are you okay?” he asks. At first, I think about answering it superficially, but there’s this look on his face that makes me want to spill all the beans. He, too, seems lonely and distraught on this Halloween night. “I’m not actually,” I glance down at my feet, finding his feet are clad in the same shoes. I then let my eyes glide from his shoes all the way up to his face. He’s urging me to continue by tilting his head a little, shooting me a questioning glance. “Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday…” I clarify. The boy nods his head understandingly. “That explains the lack of costume,” he says, which makes me glance down at my doodled-on mom jeans and oversized sweater before chuckling. “You don’t do the dressing up either? Or is that not something ghosts do?” I query, pointing at his ensemble. He’s wearing black jeans with a shirt and long-lined jean jacket. “I mean, it’s not like anyone would see,” he jokingly says, which lets a giggle escape from my mouth. His smile widens upon hearing this ridiculous sound coming from me. “Where were you going so determinedly before I smashed into you?” he asks after a few beats of silence. “Oh, I was getting some food from the place on the end of our street. They got pretty decent sushi, and since I’m home alone tonight, I thought, why the heck not treat myself, right?” I curse at myself for sharing this much with a complete stranger, who is a ghost, nonetheless, but the chuckle that reaches my ears comforts me a little. “No parties to go to? Back in my day, Halloween parties were always the best.” I feel the smile on my face fade away at the reminder of the Halloween party I’m not attending tonight. “Yeah, no… I haven’t gone to any Halloween party in two years… Like I said, Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday.” He offers me a sympathetic smile. A silence then falls over us as we stand in the middle of the street, looking at each other, debating what to say. “So… I’m gonna go and get my sushi. Uhm… Sorry for bumping into you,” I apologize and lift a foot to start walking away, but his voice stops me. “Would you mind if I tagged along?” he asks, which renders me surprised. “I don’t eat, so you don’t have to buy me sushi, but I think I could use some company tonight… If you don’t mind, of course.” His eyes are filled with hope, and some sort of desire to hang out with someone other than those bandmates he was talking about. “Uhm, no… Yeah, sure. You can tag along. It might be a nice change from that lonely Halloween I always have,” I chuckle, and he does too. “I’m Y/N, by the way,” I say as he turns and falls into step with me. “Luke,” he introduces himself with a smile. “Why don’t you go to Halloween parties, Y/N?” I inhale sharply at this question. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask too much about it. But I guess I can never get out of that question anymore. Halloween is a big holiday around here. “Two years ago, I went to one with my boyfriend. It’s the party where I found out he was cheating on me with the one girl who always had it out for me.” It rolls off my lips with ease. Normally, I’d choke or start bawling my eyes out. But Luke’s aura is so calming and reassuring that I can’t help but feel okay telling the story. “I haven’t been able to go back since, much to my best friend’s dismay.” I roll my eyes amusedly thinking about Ava and her desperate attempts to get me to go each year. “That sucks, I’m sorry,” he says as we enter the sushi place. “You better grab your phone now if you wanna talk to me. People tend to give weird looks at people talking to themselves.” I get my phone from my back pocket and pretend to dial a number before pressing it to my ear, glancing up at Luke with a smile on my face. “Hey, how you doing?” I say into the phone, which makes Luke giggle. “Just know that your ex-boyfriend’s stupid for ever cheating on you,” he tells me before looking down at his feet. “I would never wanna hurt someone as pretty as you.”  I can feel a blush creeping its way onto my cheeks, but decide to conceal it by jokingly saying, “Aw, you think I’m pretty.” He rolls his eyes, an amused smile on his face. “Next!” the guy from the sushi place yells. “Oh, hold on,” I say into my phone before placing it on the counter and facing the employer. “Uhm, the Halloween surprise box, please,” I order politely. The man nods curtly before getting into action. I grab my phone again and press it to my ear to continue talking to Luke while we make our way to a couple of chairs and tables set up for waiting customers. I let my eyes wander around the room. It’s decorated to the max with spiders in spiderwebs, pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts,... The lot. Then, my eyes fall onto Luke. He’s glancing around the place, letting his eyes wander until they find their way back to me. A shimmer appears in them when he finds me already looking at him. “So, you said you were in a band?” I ask, pretending to talk to the person on the other side of the line. “Oh, yeah! Me and three of my best friends were in this band called Sunset Curve. Three of us died on the night we were supposed to play the Orpheum,” he explains, and my eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets upon hearing the name of the venue. “The Orpheum?! You’re kidding, right?” He shakes his head, smirking. “You would’ve been legends.” The words come out in a whisper, hoping it wouldn’t upset him too much. “Yea, we would’ve been,” he sighs, then suddenly perks up again like an excited puppy, “But the girl I told you about, Julie? She can make us visible whenever we play with her! We’re now a band with her called Julie and The Phantoms!” I giggle at his endearing enthusiasm. “We would’ve had a gig at this really cool party in the Bel Air, but Julie got sick and had to cancel.” My eyes widen upon the words ‘party’ and ‘Bel Air’. Charlotte Parks lives in Bel Air. “That would be the party I’m not going to tonight,” I tell him, chuckling. “So, we would’ve met tonight either way.” He adds with a cheeky smile, “Some would say it’s fate.”  I shake my head at him, but can’t help the smile on my face either. I want to add something to debunk his theory, but my name is called out by the sushi guy. I get up and take the box of sushi from him, shooting him a quick thank you before leaving the joint with Luke in tow. “Where do you wanna go?” he asks, bouncing up and down. “Oh, I was planning on watching some movies at home, but if you have a better idea to spend tonight? Anything is better than going to that Halloween party.” He purses his lips in ponder, his eyes darting up to the night sky. “Ooh! There’s this park I like to hang out at sometimes?” I raise my eyebrows at his suggestion, popping a piece of sushi in my mouth. I’m way too hungry to wait until we sit down to eat. “You haunt children’s playgrounds?” I ask after having swallowed the seafood. His eyebrows knit together at this as he narrows his eyes at me. “I don’t haunt children’s playgrounds. I hang out at them,” he corrects me. “You’re a ghost, sweetie. That’s haunting.” “It’s not!” he shouts. “It is so!” I laugh loudly, throwing my head back. “You’re lucky the kids are all trick or treating tonight, so we can go there. Might be a little more secluded for me to talk freely to you without worrying people will think I’m crazy.” He nods his head agreeingly. Once at the park, we take a seat in the grass. I have my legs crossed whilst Luke’s are spread out, his hands supporting the rest of his body behind him. “So, what do you do in life, Y/N? You know, besides avoiding parties,” he asks with a little smile plastered on his face. I look at him for a moment, chewing my sushi. This gives me the time to really look at him. He has really great bone structure. Sharp jawline, chiseled cheekbones, fine nose, deep-set, dreamy eyes. “Eating sushi,” I reply jokingly after I’d swallowed the piece of deliciousness. Luke lets out a laugh too. “I’m still in school, so I’m spending most of my time studying. And I like to think I’m a pretty decent writer.” He stares at me, giving me his undivided attention with the cutest smile plastered on his face. “What do you write?” he asks curiously as I pop another sushi in my mouth. I lift my hand to my mouth, and reply, “Poems,” before continuing to chew quickly. “Kinda like songs, then?” I shrug my shoulders. “They could be, but I don’t play any  instrument, so I haven’t tried,” I reply and place the half-eaten box of sushi to the side, pulling my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. “Do you write your own music?” He nods his head. “I wrote most of the songs in our band and now, I write with Julie for the new band,” he answers. As I’m thinking how much I’d like to hear him and his band play, he cuts those thoughts in two by asking, “Can I see your work?” I open my mouth, then close it. Then open again. I must look like a goldfish breathing. “I’ve never really shown anyone my work…” I trail off, debating whether or not I should show him. “Besides, my notebook is at home.” Luke suddenly gets up from the grass and reaches out his hand for me to take. I hesitate. Am  I really going to take a complete stranger, a ghost, to my house to show my poetry, only to find out he hates it because it’s nothing like his songwriting? The answer is yes. I place my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet. Without letting go of my hand, he grabs the box of sushi and then guides me out of the park and lets me lead us towards my house. “Wait here,” I tell him as we’re in the foyer. He simply jams his hands into his pockets and nods his head curtly. I run up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and then go to grab my notebook from my room, quickly storming back downstairs where Luke’s still waiting. I make my way to the living room and sit down on the couch. The boy cautiously trails behind me, and only comes to sit down after I pat the spot beside me. “It’s not that great, but… You know, it’s fun to do and a great outlet for anything I may be feeling.” I hand him the notebook and let him flip through all the pages. He stops on a few, reading it a little more thoroughly. It’s building some suspense in me. What if he doesn’t even like them? What if he, a songwriter, hates them? “Ah! This one!” he exclaims, and suddenly, with a whoosh, there’s an acoustic guitar on his lap. “One of the perks of being a musician spirit,” he tells me with a grin before strumming the instrument a little. He abruptly stops, looks at the page in my notebook again, and then softly tickles the strings. A beautiful melody pours out of the instrument before his melodic voice joins in too with the words I wrote. “I saw your face in the fire again I touched the flames and burned down everything I hear the sirens west of 8th now” He looks at me with a questioning glance as if asking for encouragement of some sorts. I offer him a smile, unsure of anything else I could be doing right now. His voice has rendered me silent. I think I could listen to him sing for hours.  “Wonder if you're hearin' them too And I know you don't belong  Know you don't belong to anyone” He focuses on the instrument again, making sure he’s still playing the right chords.  “No you can't be tamed love Maybe I was wrong  Maybe I was wrong for this But you feel like the perfect escape now Just like the sun on my face” His voice grows a little stronger, almost sounding raspier and more like a growl as he looks up again. I always thought it’d be cliché to melt when an attractive boy sings to me, but it’s actually happening to me right now.  “So can we close the space between us now It's the distance we don't need  Yeah, you're everything I love about The things I hate in me  So come on, come on, come over now and Fix me with your grace 'Cause I'm not too far and you're my favorite place” “You sing this last part,” he tells me, pushing the notebook towards me before going back to playing his guitar.  “I can’t sing, Luke,” I tell him, slightly panicking.  “Sure you can. I’ll sing along, don’t worry,” he offers me a reassuring smile before putting more power behind his strumming while also leaning closer toward me to read the words.  “So come on, come on, come over now and Fix me with your grace 'Cause I'm not too far and you're my favorite place” He now quits playing, placing his hands flat on the strings, and for a while we just stare at each other in disbelief. Disbelief about the song we just made together. Disbelief about how beautiful a voice he has. Disbelief about how attractive he is.  I cough, breaking the eye contact, “That’s a great song, Luke… You can have it if you want,” I offer with a smile to try and hide the blush from heating up my cheeks.  “No, Y/N, I couldn’t. That’s yours. Those are your words. Your words made this a great song.”  “They’re just words without a melody,” I mutter, folding the edges of the paper nervously.  “A song is quite boring without words though, isn’t it?”  For some reason, I’m starting to think all of this could be a metaphor for us. Him being the melody and me being the words. I would be a plain and simple poem without him, and his life -- though I doubt it -- would be boring without me.  “It would still be a song though,” I add, looking up at him again. One corner of his mouth curls up into a smirk, which makes me think he caught onto that metaphor I was thinking about. He suddenly grabs my hand and laces our fingers together. Before I can even register what’s happening, the front door suddenly opens, revealing a distraught-looking Ava. I let go of Luke’s hand and get up to help my best friend.  “What’s wrong?” I ask her as she stumbles inside. I grab her just in time before she can hurt herself. She looks up at me, her makeup run out all the way to her chin and blood trickling down her nose, though I’m not sure if it’s real blood or part of her cat costume.  “I punched Brent in the face and Charlotte punched me back,” she get out through sobs and hiccups. My eyes dart over to Luke, who’s watching this from the sofa. I almost forgot she can’t even see him. He offers me a small smile.  “Why?” I ask and guide her to the couch. She nearly sits down on top of Luke, but I’m quick enough to guide her next to him while he vanishes. He pops back behind the couch, looking down at the drunk girl lying down on the sofa.  “Because he was boasting about how he even managed to wrap the prude around his finger two years ago and got her to anything he wanted,” I swallow, remember those times people called me a prude because I covered up unlike girls like Charlotte who wore short skirts and plunging necklines. “I really don’t get what you saw in him, Y/N,” she mumbles while cuddling up to the pillow and letting her eyes flutter shut. “I hope you find someone that looks at you like I look at pizza.” I giggle at her drunken words before looking up at Luke to find him already looking at me. Kind of the same way Ava looks at pizza. A smile then finds its way to my face. Maybe Halloween isn’t as bad as I always thought it was. 

Taglist: @hannahhistorian92 @marinettepotterandplagg @thequirkybookaholic @bookdealer5 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @hemmingsness @iainttakingshitfromnobody @ifilwtmfc @angryknightstatesmantrash @kiss-themoongoodbye @rudysbay @thedarkqueenofavalon @caitsymichelle13 @calamitykaty @parkeret @lukeys-giggle @gingerxarmy @lovesanimals @lolychu @perfectlywrongformend3s @luckylouiebug @camiladelrio98 @myfriendscallmebeans

[mc-lukanette]

MC-Lukanette’s “No Context November” 2020 Masterpost

My personal “No Context November” was so much fun, and thanks to everyone who interacted with/enjoyed it! I adore Lukanette a ton and it was a blast getting out these 54,000+ words and seeing how people reacted to them.

As is appropriate since there were thirty posts involved (+1 more counting the bonus for October 31st), which may or may not be more than one can handle in a single month, here’s a masterpost of everything!

` = ficlet

* = one-shot (or close to being a one-shot if a few paragraphs/a little more context were added)

^ = part of a larger AU/hypothetical story

{AO3 link for No Context November}

(Halloween bonus) * (1003 words) - Loose Threads [Fairy Tale] [Creature Marinette] [Crafted Luka]

A fairy-tale-styled story about a lonely monster who believes in karmic justice.

Day 1 * (1601 words) - {Lukanette} [Festival] [Haunted House] [Confession] [Kiss]

After being shoved into a haunted house attraction by their friends, Luka and Marinette bond over being mutually scared and have a little talk about their feelings.

Day 2 * (2078 words) - {Lukanette} [”Party Crasher” divergence] [Crossdressing] [Marinette Wears Luka’s Clothes and He Doesn’t Know What to Do With Himself]

Upon seeing Marinette sulking outside the Agreste mansion in “Party Crasher,” Luka decides to help her out. When the direct approach fails, he takes her to his house for “Plan B.”

(bonus continuation - 1359 words)

Day 3 * (1781 words) - {Lukanette} [Cuddling] [Discussion of Visual and Auditory Interpretation] [Confession] [Kiss]

When Marinette struggles with her stress, she relies on Luka for comfort and wonders how he can do what he does. His lesson to her goes a little differently than he expected.

Day 4 ^ (2602 words) - {Lukanette} [Talks About Love] [Hurt/Comfort] [Luka Knows] [Dating Without Dating] [Gray Morality] [Mutual Selfishness] [Kiss]

In which Marinette is affection-starved and both she and Luka decide to be selfish about how they feel.

Day 5 * (1461 words) - {Lukanette} [Akuma Mention] [Hurt/Comfort] [Mentioned Confession] [Kiss]

After having snapped at Marinette due to an akuma, Luka goes to Marinette to assure her that he didn’t mean a word of it.

Day 6 ^ (2335 words) - {Lukanette} [Winged Marinette Dupain Cheng] [Luka has Cat] [Luka’s Song Sensing Taken Up a Notch]

When Marinette doesn’t meet with Luka and the others outside of school one day, Luka goes to find her and discovers something about her in the process.

Day 7 ` (600 words) - {Viperbug} [Concern] [Identity Reveal] [Kiss]

Viperion worries about Marinette on the way to an akuma battle. Ladybug explains without words why he shouldn’t.

Day 8 ^ (1212 words) - {Lukanette} [Magical Luka Couffaine] [Blue-skinned Luka Couffaine ala Silencer] [Injuries] [Meeting for the First Time]

Luka Couffaine, hailing from the Tribe of Chaos, wakes up injured in the home of a cute human girl who - to his surprise - only wants to help him.

Day 9 ^ (2178 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Time Travel] [Apologies/Regrets] [Confession] [Kiss]

While on a date that Luka had gently requested for her, Marinette confesses to her feelings for him, along with a lot more.

Day 10 ^ (850 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Housemates] [Luka and Marinette Are Just “Very Good Best Friends” (in denial)]

Luka has some issues to work out concerning moving. Marinette offers to help.

Day 11 ^ (1003 words) - {Lukanette} [Luka has Cat] [Luka and Marinette Know Each Other’s Identities] [Accidental Kiss]

Marinette meets Luka outside of school and notices that he’s acting weird. Just what is he hiding under that hood?

Day 12 ^ (1543 words) - {Lukanette} [Childhood] [Luka and Marinette Are Basically Neighbors] [Meeting for the First Time] [Paper Airplanes]

For the most part, Marinette didn’t have an opinion on the fact that her house was so close to the Seine. It’s only when she hears the sweet sound of a boy’s guitar that she changes her mind.

Day 13 ^ (1297 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Multiverse] [Pre-Established Relationship... sort of]

Marinette could use some serious help in the romance department. Luckily for her, Sass knows just the guy to send her to.

Day 14 ^ (1536 words) - {Lukanette} [Spirit Luka Couffaine] [Possession] [Confession]

Luka, having been in a spirit state for a while, feels miserable about his plan to get Marinette together with her crush (via possession, one of his few capabilities) falling through. Turns out that Marinette doesn’t mind as much as he thinks.

Day 15 ^ (2502 words) - {Vipernette} [Miraculous Cure With No Ladybug] [Miraculouses Have Side-Effects] [Meeting for the First Time] [Hugs]

Viperion suffers through the drawbacks of his cold-blooded miraculous and Marinette helps.

Day 16 * (1525 words) - {Lukanette} [Clothes] [Unspoken Confession] [Kiss]

Marinette just wanted to sleep for the day, but being a normal person requires her not to. She just wishes that she could understand why everyone keeps looking at her weird.

Day 17 ^ (1190 words) - {Lukanette} [Shared Locker] [Communication Over Notes] [Luka is Juleka’s Twin Brother] [Luka is in Ms. Mendeleiev’s Class]

Marinette arrives on the first day of school to find that someone’s things are in her locker. What might’ve seemed like something bad at first ends up being a neat opportunity to make a new friend.

(continuation - 1355 words)

(continuation - 2825 words)

Day 18 ^ (1838 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Bus Rides] [Sleep-Deprived Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Meeting for the First Time]

Marinette ends up meeting someone on a bus ride. The circumstances behind it weren’t exactly things she’d mention to others, but it turns out not being as bad as she thought.

Day 19 ` (818 words) - {Lukanette} [post-”Silencer”] [Guilt] [Nightmares] [Luka Knows]

Luka has been, to put it simply, excessively helpful as of late, and Marinette decides to get to the bottom of it.

Day 20 ^ (1922 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Baker Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Rock Star Luka Couffaine] [Meeting for the First Time]

When Luka comes back from tour with questions in his head, Juleka decides to solve the problem by sending him to a bakery, where he ends up being more taken by the woman working there than the actual sweets.

Day 21 ^ (1565 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Children’s Books] [Author Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Luka Knows]

While shopping with Ivan and Mylene’s child, Luka comes across a particular children’s book that reminds him of himself (as Viperion) and Ladybug. His curiosity is piqued and he wants to know more.

Day 22 * (2682 words) - {Lukanette} [Non-consensual Kiss] [Confession] [Kiss]

Lila is up to her usual tricks again, with Marinette silently seething in the background while trying not to make a scene. This time though, Lila goes after Luka, which might just end up working in Marinette’s favor in the end, if only in what matters most.

Day 23 * (3874 words) - {Lukabug} [Adulthood] [Cut Contact] [Long-standing Crushes]

On patrol one night, Ladybug meets up with Luka after she’d (as Marinette) cut contact with him for years. They end up talking and she learns that things are much different with him than she expects.

Day 24 ^ (1578 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Coffee Shop] [Sleep-Deprived Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Meeting For the First Time]

Luka finds an exhausted Marinette one day and decides to offer her his coffee. He expects not to see her again and ends up being very wrong.

Day 25 ` (1116 words) - {Lukanette} [Guitar Lessons] [Light Flirting] [Indirect Confession]

In which Luka just wants to continue Marinette’s guitar lessons and she returns the favor by assaulting him with feelings.

Day 26 ^ (1217 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Fake Marriage] [Jagged Stone is Luka Couffaine’s Father] [Hereditary Song Sensing] [Meeting For the First Time]

Jagged has called Marinette for an abundance of strange things over the time she’s known him. This one, though, is probably the strangest of them all.

Day 27 ^ (1460 words) - {Lukanette} [Naga Luka Couffaine] [Dimensional Travel] [Confession] [Kiss]

Waking up in the middle of the night, Luka realizes that Marinette is also awake and notices that she’s acting suspicious.

Day 28 ^ (1432 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Adrien and Marinette Are Friends] [Bonus Adrimi] [Relationship Meddling]

Adrien and Marinette talk while on patrol, and Adrien is both shocked and confused at the fact that Marinette isn’t dating despite being in love with Luka.

Day 29 ^ (1184 words) - {Lukanette} [Not-So-Secret Admirer] [Mutually Misunderstood] [Meeting For the First Time]

Luka is lamenting how people view him, given his supposed “bad boy” appearance, when he gets a surprise visitor.

Day 30 ^ (3726 words) - {Lukanette} [Childhood] [Adulthood] [Timeskip] [Promise Rings] [Jagged Stone is Luka Couffaine’s Father] [Failed/Newfound Goals] [Flower Shop] [Music Shop]

Luka and Marinette have been best friends for years, but when Luka has to be torn away from her on his quest to be a rockstar, they make a promise that they carry with them all the way through adulthood.

[skullrock]

the bath

pairing: Steve x Reader

summary: Steve goes through some anniversary-related trauma. Reader helps him through it.

word count: 2.9k

warnings: mentions of PTSD

===

You sigh heavily as you open the door to your apartment, dropping your bag at your feet and shrugging your coat off. It was too cold for October, and you shivered as you kicked your shoes off. You make your way into the living room to find your boyfriend huddled up on the couch. He’s wearing an oversized grey hoodie and sweats, and he looks like he hasn’t slept in days - because he hadn’t.

You approach carefully, afraid to wake him if he’s finally slept, but he stirs.

“Steve?”

He makes a weak noise in response, cuddling into himself more. You frown and sit in front of his reclined body, running your hand over his clothed shoulder. His face is pale, under eyes dark and sunken. His perfect hair flopped lazily over his forehead, flat on the top, as he hadn’t washed it in days. He didn’t have the energy to. He didn’t have the energy to do much at all the past week, his trauma overtaking his body. All he could do was think.

“You feelin’ any better?” you ask softly, though you know the answer.

He shakes his head. “‘m tired.”

“I know,” you coo. “Have you tried the sleep aids?”

Steve shakes his head once more, jaw setting. He didn’t want to take them because of the nightmares - that’s why he couldn’t sleep. All he could see was Barb, and her parents, and his pool, and Dustin’s torn up cat, and Demogorgons, monsters in lab suits, doctors with drugs. He swears he can feel the punches, taste the blood in his mouth. His body genuinely feels like it hurts - like the bruises on his ribs have formed again, sprouting blue and purple clouds across the skin of his torso. He feels dizzy, just as he did after Billy beat him, and after the artificial high from the Russians had worn off. His bones creak when he stands, his head pounds. He feels weak and sick and disgusting, hopeless, anxious, worn. When you’re gone, he cries; when you’re here, he’s silent. He keeps all the lights on in the house all hours of the day and apologizes profusely for it; he just doesn’t want anything sneaking up on him.

You understand.

“What can I do to help?”

A single shake of the head. “Nothin’.”

You frown and lean down, pressing a kiss to his earlobe.

“I’m gross.” He says it as a statement.

“No,” you say simply, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You’re cute.”

He smiles, but only slightly. “Wish I had the energy to stay in the shower longer than five minutes.”

You perk up suddenly, back straightening. “I have the perfect idea.” You jump up, leaning down to kiss the top of his forehead. “I’ll be back.”

He reaches for you, pulling you down. “Don’t go.”

“I’ll be back so fast, you won’t even know I’m gone,” you promise, reaching for his pinkie with yours. “Half an hour, honest.”

Steve stiffens slightly. “Be safe.”

“You know I will.”

You run to the store, literally run, grabbing what you need. A couple bath bombs, some bath salts. A lavender scented lotion. Steve has hordes of high-end masks, so you skip on those, and run to get the ingredients for his favorite food and dessert. He usually likes to cook and bake, but you can manage. Probably. He was a damn good cook - you had nothing on him. But it’s the thought that counts.

You return with multiple bags, kicking the door shut with your feet. Steve’s brows quirk up as he hears you come in. “That was fast.”

“You know me,” you smile, rushing to put the food away before walking back to him. “I’ve got an idea.”

“I figured,” he says. He has the hood over his head so you can’t see his eyes or mouth, but you can hear the joke in his voice.

“What if I give you a bath?”

Steve stills, and then peaks through the hood. He stares at you for a long moment before asking, “Are you sure?”

“I want to,” you say softly, squeezing his hand. You press a kiss to his scarred knuckles. “Wanna take care of you.”

He pauses for a while longer before nodding gingerly. You help him up, first to sit and then to stand. He stumbles slightly and curses, his cheeks flushing from embarrassment. You stand on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

He reminds you so much of the boy he was, right now. His back hunches from the pain in his ribs. His shoulders slag from the lack of confidence. You can almost see the cuts and bruises on him, and it makes your stomach twist. Steve had pushed everything down quite well, all things considered - but when anniversaries come up, he reverts back into the scared and alone boy he was. And it kills you, because he’s the last person who deserves it.

You lead him to the bathroom with your materials and sit him on the toilet. You help him get his hoodie and undershirt off first, leaving him in his sweats. His eyes purposefully avoid the mirror, and it breaks your heart even more. You grab a washcloth and scrub his face with some water - he had, at least, been keeping up with washing himself. Then you grab one of his masks - a rose colored one, more expensive than your entire outfit - and begin to smooth it onto his face. He relaxes at the touch and smell, shoulders dropping, the crease in his forehead soothing.

“What’re you trying to say?” he quips. “Do I look that bad?”

“Christ, no,” you say. “As gorgeous as ever, Stevie. This is just… self care.”

He smiles slightly and you continue, washing the residue from your fingers when you’re done. You place two under eye patches onto him and he sighs, the smile growing.

“That feels so good,” he murmurs.

You can’t kiss his face, so you kiss the underside of his jaw, and his tension eases further. His hands flutter to your hips as you place another kiss onto the freckles that line his neck.

“‘m not trying to get freaky,” you whisper.

“Just want you close,” he replies.

You press one last kiss to his neck before pulling away and stepping to the bathtub. You run the water til it’s warm, and plug it. You sprinkle a few handfuls of bath salts into the water, and light a candle for him. You help hold Steve up as he steps out of his bottoms, and then help him step into the tub. A happy groan slips from his lips as he slides down, sinking into the water.

“Feel good?”

He hums happily and nods. He forces his eyes to flutter shut, knowing you’re at least here with him. “Don’t let me fall asleep.”

“You should,” you say. “You really should.”

Steve stays quiet, because he knows you’re right.

The salts in the bath slowly ease the tension and aches from his muscles, and the scent of the candle combined with the salts makes him feel a little more alive. You sit and watch his body relax, your own relaxing with it.

After a while, you grab the washcloth again, wetting it with warm water and heading over to remove his mask. You peel the under eye masks off and gently wipe the mask from his skin, revealing more radiant and plump skin underneath. “How do you feel?”

He hums once more. “Prettier.”

You giggle and push his hair back from his face with your hand, leaning in to give him a kiss. Then you grab a nail file and begin to file his nails, manicuring them as he usually does. You work on the hand closest to you, and then the other. Steve watches you the entire time, his eyes soft as you bite the inside of your cheek to concentrate on smoothing his nails down.

Steve knows, deep down, that he is worthy of love. You tell him every single day; Robin, Dustin, and the others reinforce it. Hell, even Mike Wheeler, Steve’s sworn enemy, has been there for him. He knows he’s better off than he ever was, even before the Upside Down consumed all remnants of a normal life. But it still feels bizarre, somewhere in the pit of his chest, to have people care about him. To have people look at him the way you look at him. And he never thought, in a million years, someone would file his nails, apply a face mask to him, and wash his hair with no judgement. But here you were, and here he was, and it was liberating and scary and so, so good.

You finish with his nails and he examines them, smiling softly before mumbling, “Eh, they’re okay.”

“Keep it up, and I won’t make you chicken alfredo,” you respond, and Steve slides down the bath in surprise.

“You - what the hell? It’s so expensive to make that -”

“You’re worth it.”

“No -”

“Yes,” you say, and your expression shuts Steve up. You reach up to twirl your finger through a lock of hair. “You ready?”

He nods, pushing himself up. You grab a large plastic cup and fill it with water. You put your free hand under Steve’s chin to tilt his head back before gently pouring the water over his head. He sighs at the feeling, happy once again, the feeling of warmth on his head relieving. You do this a few more times before grabbing his shampoo, a special kind, one he insists on using - which, you don’t mind, it smells like him. Sometimes you even sneak some to use, because you want the lingering smell of Steve on your hair for the day.

You begin to lather his hair, and his mouth drops. He leans back, his shoulders hitting the edge of the tub, and you giggle as you follow him. Little moans escape his lips - nothing quite sexual, just blissful. The week washes off with the shampoo, leaving him feeling clean and more awake, more alive. It also makes him feel vulnerable. His hair is his favorite feature, and not just anyone can touch it. But he feels safe with you, feels safe for you to see it greasy and flat, clean and sky high. He lets his guard down for the first time in a week, and almost feels ‘normal’ again.

You rinse the suds out and replace the shampoo with conditioner, applying it lightly, careful not to make it too greasy again. Steve smiles, because you’re doing it correctly and he didn’t even have to tell you. After a moment, you rinse it out with clean water. He reaches up and runs his hand through it, happy that it isn’t so heavy anymore.

“Better?”

“Much,” he says quietly.

You stand and get a fresh washcloth and get onto your knees again. The tile of the bathroom hurts, but you’d do it for him. You grab his body wash and he sort of gasps, brows creasing.

“You don’t gotta - I - it was just my hair -”

“Let me,” you say gently, and he relaxes.

You lather the cloth and begin to wash him; slowly, in circles, over the expanse of his chest and shoulders, down his arms and into his hands. As you reach each part, you whisper praises - “your freckles are so beautiful”; “you’ve got the nicest arms I’ve ever seen”; “your hands are always so soft.” Steve fights back tears while you do it, sets his jaw tight so they don’t spill over, his tongue desperately pushing at the roof of his mouth. He wasn’t expecting this. Not that he doesn’t like it, he just wasn’t expecting the love that pours from you, even as you move over his ribs and legs and back.

You rinse him off with the cup again, running your hands over his skin, smooth and supple. Steve looks younger, like years have been washed away from him, and it makes you smile.

You help him get out, being sure that he doesn’t slip, as the water drains. You wrap a towel around him snugly and sit him on the toilet. You kneel in front of him and use another towel to dry his hair for him. He melts into your touch, leaning so far off of the seat that he almost falls. You push him back gently, smiling.

“Feels good,” he mumbles, smiling wider than he has in a while.

“I know how much you like your hair being played with.”

He nudges your foot with his. “You said you weren’t trying to get freaky.”

“I’m not!”

“Okay.”

“Just stating the facts.”

“Alright.” He smiles and leans in, catching your lips in his for the briefest moment. “If you say so.”

You pull back, frowning. “Hey,” you say softly, cupping his cheek. “Just rest, okay? You need to.”

He looks down. “I know.”

“I know it’s hard,” you whisper. “But I will be right beside you. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

“That’s not entirely it,” he whispers. “What if they… get you?”

You’d thought about it, of course. After Starcourt, you were a mess, keeping the lights on in your own house, calling Steve at three in the morning - he was always awake. You weren’t immune to your own weeks of worry and anxiety-induced nausea. But you put on a brave face for Steve.

“They won’t,” you whisper back. “It’s over.”

“That’s what we always say,” he mumbles, looking away from you.

You cup his cheek and bring him back to looking at you. “It’s true this time. We’re safe.”

“But what if we aren’t? What can I do? How can I protect everyone?”

“You can’t,” you stress. “And that’s not a bad thing. Everyone is more than capable of taking care of themselves. Especially the kids.”

Steve sighs. “They could probably kill Satan with just a slingshot, huh?”

“They pretty much already have.” You smile sadly. “So have you. Three times over. That’s a lot of practice for fighting interdimensional beings, don’t you think?”

He shrugs and softly adds, “I gave them Dustin’s address, remember?”

You pause, not quite sure what to say. “Dustin’s not mad at you.”

“I know,” he says, voice hardly above a whisper. “But what if they….”

He can’t even finish the thought. His eyes prick with tears and he squeezes his eyes shut.

You wrap him up into your arms, hugging him as tightly as you can. You feel him shake beneath you, and he finally lets out a sob. He hadn’t cried around you much before - you knew he did cry, you just never quite saw it. It makes your stomach drop, but all you can do is hold him, let him bury his face in the crook of your neck and cry.

“‘m sorry,” Steve hiccups.

You pull back. “For what?”

He looks like he has a hard time articulating. “For… for crying. For being like this.”

“Like the man I love?”

“Stop,” he hisses. His eyes soften immediately afterwards, welling with tears again. “Christ, I’m sorry - I didn’t mean -”

“I know,” you whisper. You wrap your fingers through his and squeeze. “I know, Steve. Can I get you dressed?”

He nods numbly and you lead him to your shared bedroom, grabbing him a clean pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. He pulls them on gingerly, and you pull him to bed after, tucking him in.

“Stay,” he whispers, voice cracking and eyes pleading.

You slide under the covers with him, and he holds you closely, tightly, almost cutting off your breathing. He mumbles apologies into your hair, and you reach to his side to lightly pinch a sensitive spot.

“Hey.” You look up at him. “You better stop being sorry. I mean it.”

“But -”

“Genuinely nothing you do or say is going to make me get up and leave. Nothing. Not a thing. Because I know who you are, and I know who you’ve been. I know you don’t mean to snap. I know you’re scared. And that’s not grounds for apologies.”

He frowns. “I just don’t want to push you away.”

“I know it’s hard right now.” You reach up and push his hair away from his face again. “But I will be patient with you because I love you and you deserve it. You deserve the world.” He opens his mouth to protest again, but you press a finger to his lips. “No. I am going to go make you good food and dessert, and then I’m going to hold you all night. Okay?”

“Okay,” he says behind your finger.

You remove your finger and kiss him softly. “Take a nap, okay? I’m up, I’m here. I’ll protect you tonight.”

He squeezes you. “Promise?”

“Swear,” you reply. “Now let me go make you decent food, okay?”

“Okay,” he repeats quietly.

You don’t move for a moment. Finally you whisper, “I love you more than anything in the world.”

“I love you,” he whispers. “My everything.”

“No, you.”

Steve smiles and buries his face in your hair again. “No, you.”

===

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[sevsnapeposts]

Snapetober Day 3: Pumpkin carving.

hello everyone. this took more than it should've, honestly, but here it is. i feel like a made a mistake somewhere on the translation but oh well. Sev POV btw. feel free to read it over in ao3 if you'd like, and also if you'd be kind enough, go give me some kudos over there. thanks, hope you enjoy~.

Day 3 - Pumpkin craving.

--

Severus had an incredible ability to carve pumpkins. Where it came from, he had no idea, but he was capable of making all kinds of faces and figures, from a classic malevolent pumpkin to minimal landscapes and human faces. The most impressive thing is that he did it without the use of a wand: Armed with a good knife and an occasional extra object, he carved the pumpkin in the most traditional way possible.

He knew of the existence of his gift since he was a child. He was 8, on the first Halloween for which his mother had gotten some money to decorate his room, in an attempt to give him some happiness. The woman had done this after they passed one of the most beautiful houses on the street, which had a lot of little lights and scary decorations, and she noticed the glint of longing in her little son's eyes.

So, Eileen had managed to get some pumpkins at the fruit stand a few blocks away. There were three of them, a bit ugly and old, as well as small, but that would be more than enough for her and her child.

Severus clearly remembered the expression of his mother, who had marveled when he, using the razor with great care, had perfectly copied the face of the largest pumpkin in that house. Eileen's face had lit up like never before, the usual melancholy and weariness of her fading completely. She had laughed, and hugged him, and she let him carve the other two pumpkins, keeping a close eye to avoid any accidents, even though Severus was more than capable of doing it without a hitch.

The little pumpkins didn’t make it to Halloween though, because three days later (and two days before that date), Tobias found them and smashed them in half, shouting in his drunkenness that in his house no one was going to celebrate those stupid festivities, nor have decorations, nor spend money or time on them.

Severus had cried himself to sleep.

When he met Lily, however, he again had the opportunity to demonstrate his art. Lily took all of the pumpkins to her house, and they all adorned the Evans' yard even after Halloween, only being removed when Christmas got close enough. She had been fascinated, and during her years at Hogwarts, when the time came, she would always get one or two for him to carve out some pretty ornaments and then take them to her bedroom. Even after the end of their friendship, as a kind of apology, tribute, or torture (he didn't know which of the three, honestly), Severus would make pumpkins with flowers and leave them lying around, never close enough to any of them.

After Lily's death, Severus hadn't carved one again.

At least until that day. October had just begun, and he was stuck in Malfoy Manor keeping Lucius company, who since the divorce complained that the mansion was "too big and empty." Severus thought he well deserved it, but he still appreciated him too much to refuse an explicit invitation to stay with him for that month, as a more than special guest.

Of course, Prue was there too. Severus couldn't understand how she had gotten through things so easily, how she was able to sit at the same table as the man who had caused her so much fear and so many nightmares; but if she was comfortable enough with him to agree to stay at his house, then he had no say in it.

In any case, Lucius hadn’t invited them just because he could: He also knew that this was the now young woman's favorite month, and therefore, he couldn’t give her a better gift than to let her spend all those dates without lifting a finger, with elves attending all her wishes and without any responsibility beyond taking one side or the other between the "very mature" arguments the two men had all the time.

Prue always sided with Severus, unless Lucius bribed her with chocolates.

Be that as it may, at the time, the trio were in the back garden of the mansion, where a heap of pumpkins of all sorts of sizes and shapes were being arranged by a couple of elves.

"Overdone as always", Severus said, sighing through his nose and rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. Lucius smiled at him, pleased as always to show off his ability to do whatever he pleased.

"I thought you might need a few to practice first", the blond replied.

"There are more than fifty", commented Prue, who was standing between them, holding hands with Severus.

Happens that, during breakfast, Lucius had brought up Severus' old custom with pumpkins. Prue proved she was very interested in it, as she had never imagined that he would have any artistic ability, and she had asked him to see some of his work. He was saying that it was not a big deal, and that he hadn’t touched a pumpkin for more than 19 years, and that there wasn’t even one there, when Lucius called his elves and sent them to buy "a few", declaring that he wouldn’t escape giving them a show and, incidentally, decorating the mansion.

Lucius was undoubtedly still fulfilling Prue's whims.

"Well, I suppose we can sit here whilst you slaughter a few vegetables”, purred the master of the manor. Just after he pronounced those words, one of the elves snapped its fingers, three chairs and two tall benches appearing near the trio. Lucius invited Prue to sit down while he handed Severus the "pumpkin killing tools," as the youngest of the three had called them. In return, he asked for his wand. “To avoid cheating. You always said it was manual”.

"And it is", Severus replied with annoyance, though he still held out his wand, which Lucius tucked into his coat. Then he went to sit in the chair next to Prue, who was watching them intently with those pretty eyes. Severus noticed that she was smiling slightly at him, and returned the gesture.

"I think an average pumpkin would be a good start", Lucius commented, crossing one leg over the other. Prue nodded, and the blond drew his own wand, pointing at a medium pumpkin, which floated up to the trio, hovering in the air in front of him. He used a simple incantation to empty the inside of the fruit, and Severus took it at last.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous, but he still got to work on it.

Half an hour later, the first pumpkin was ready. It had a normal face, not very elaborate, and it smiled wickedly. Lucius scored it with a "not bad at all," as he stared at the fruit, head laying on Prue's shoulder (who had only stiffened a bit). Then they both asked him to do another.

And so, by the end of the day, almost all of the pumpkins had been carved. Severus had done most of them, his designs the prettiest and most striking for obvious reasons. He had even made a special one for his two companions: For Lucius, a pumpkin with a snake that wrapped itself around it and finally looked straight ahead with its fangs poking out; and for Prue, a pumpkin-cat of Lucifer.

The rest had been done mainly by Prue, who was encouraged to try after the fifth one. She had just carved funny and cute faces, although one of the pumpkins had been hidden away from everyone and she didn’t let them see it. Lucius scoffed saying that she sure had fucked it up and she didn't want to be humiliated, to which Prue threw an unused pumpkin at his head, making Severus laugh.

The blond ended up using the one that had been thrown at him to carve it himself, although halfway there he got despaired and used his wand to finish it. Severus called him a sore, dirty cheater.

In any case, by the time they went to bed a long time later, after having dinner and entertaining Prue with ghost stories, the entire mansion was already illuminated with the dim light emerging from within the pumpkins. Severus was proud of his creations, and terribly flattered that something he had made was displayed like a trophy for all to see.

His feeling of happiness increased much more when, coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower, he found the sweet scene that was seeing Prue asleep in the bed they shared, covered up to her nose and with her beautiful face totally relaxed, as it was only when she had a day that she had fully enjoyed. Next to her, leaning against the pillow that belonged to the man, was the pumpkin that she hadn’t let anyone see. Severus took it delicately and turned it, finding a carving of a cauldron from which a heart was emerging. Looking between the openings, he noticed that there was a piece of parchment inside of it, which he pulled out with the help of his long fingers.

"Thank you for teaching me how to carve pumpkins. I made this with you in mind. I love you."

That night, for the first time in over 30 years, Severus Snape slept not only with decorations in his room, but with a smile that persisted until dawn.

[satoshi-mochida]

Blue Reflection: Second Light will launch for PlayStation 4 and Switch on October 21 in Japan, followed by PC via Steam at a later date, publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust announced. It will cost 8,580 yen.

An 11,395 yen “Premium Box” and 22,110 yen “Special Collection Box” will also be available. The former includes a special drama CD, “Ryza Style” costume for protagonist Ao Hoshizaki, B2 cloth poster, and a student handbook-style bromide album. The latter includes the Premium Box content, plus the “Everyone’s Memories Album” art book, Ao Hoshizaki bath towel, two acrylic mini character charms, and a school bag.

A Digital Deluxe Edition will also be available, but details have yet to be announced.

Users who purchase any edition of the game by November 3 will receive the downloadable content “Midsummer Bikini” costume. Uses who purchase the physical edition will also receive the “Cat Ears Hairband” accessory. Digital pre-orders will also include a bonus, but details have yet to be announced.

Get the first details below.

■ Logo and Visuals

■ World

The piercing blue sky, the beautiful, clear water around them, and the sun slowly scorching their skin… In this summer setting, one girl wandered into this world as if completely abandoned.

That girl’s name is Ao Hoshizaki. In an isolated school, there lived three girls who lost their memories. The only thing they knew about each other was their names. Although perplexed, Ao lives a strange life in cohabitation these girls to find clues that can lead her back home to her world.

Then one day, a path leading to a new landscape suddenly appears in a world previously made up of nothing but a school and the water around it. Ao and the girls decide to follow it.

At the end of the path was a strange place where familiar-looking things existed in irregularity. Although confused, they walked forward in search of answers…

It was then that they encountered a monster for the first time. Caught in a pinch, the girls came into possession of a mysterious power.

A world trapped in summer, and girls who have lost their memories. What will they gain for solving this mystery?

■ Systems

Even in an extraordinary world, the girls will work together to enrich their lives and find enjoyment. As Ao and the girls deepen their bonds, they will draw closer to clues about this world’s mysteries and their lost memories.

Deepen Your Bonds

As the girls live together, their personalities and unexpected natures will gradually come to surface. By strengthening the connections that bind their hearts, you may even unlock new powers that can be used in battle.

Craft Together

Depending on who you craft with, the effectiveness and quantity of the final product will vary.

Build Your Ideal School

Your friends may also ask you to build a certain kind of facility, and you can visit the facilities you have built together. There may even be some unexpected facilities…

■ World

—Requests and troubles from friends.

Various events await the girls.

■ Characters

Ao Hoshizaki (voiced by Kanako Yanagihara)

A girl who lives an extremely normal life. After failing her final exams, she attends summer school for supplementary classes, but ends up lost in an unknown world. There she meets Kokoro, Yuki, and Renya, and works with them to find a way to return home to her world.

Kokoro Utsubo (voiced by Tomoyo Takayanagi)

A girl Ao meets for the first time in another world. She does things at her own pace and is always somewhat absent-minded. She has a gentle heart and treats Ao with kindness after her sudden arrival. She lost her memories, and it is unknown whether she is originally an inhabitant of this world, or if she wandered into this world like Ao.

Yuki Kinjou (voiced by Yuu Serizawa)

A girl living at the school with Kokoro and Renya. A cheerful and active girl who is always full of spirit. The mood maker of the group, she lives each day looking for enjoyment in the midst of a crazy situation.

She also lost her memories.

Renya Miyauchi (voiced by Maki Kawase)

A girl living at the school with Kokoro and Yuki. She tends to have a negative outlook on things and often speaks harshly, but is kind at heart. She always takes a step back to look at the situation as a whole, and is the one who intervenes when the other members behave recklessly.

She also lost her memories.

Hinako Shirai (voiced by Yuuki Takada)

A girl who appeared in front of Ao and friends after a certain event. Once a ballet dancer with a promising future ahead of her, she injured her leg and now no longer dances ballet.

She also lost her memories.

■ Concept

Mel Kishida returns as the character designer for Blue Reflection: Second Light. Many unique girls will appear, and the story will depict their conflicts, friendship, and youth as they struggle in an unknown world.

■ Special Editions

Premium Box

Special Collection Box

■ Purchase Bonuses

Early Purchase Bonus

Physical Edition Purchase Bonus

Watch the trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here.

Japanese

Chinese

[gryfon-spanish-werewolf]

Spirit

@jabs-wocks​ made a comment about being in the mood for some angst and @justlookatthosesausages​ was talking about some post F2 ending/altered canon stuff the other day so I was inspired. I also wanted to make it October prompt-esque, so this one was about the word ‘Spirit’, which eventually just became the title

Edit: Also tumblr mobile? Hate you my guy, you literally deleted the entire text as I posted it, I saw you do it, so I’m here on my desktop. [Sigh] So here’s take 2.

-----

Perhaps life would never go back to normal in Arendelle. Though, how could it? The discovery of a decades long secret? The realization that the country they loved so dearly was capable of cruelty? And what to do with the Northuldra? Unite in shared blood despite history? Make reparations but go separate ways?

These are the questions that loom over Elsa and Anna in the weeks after their adventure to the Enchanted Forest.

Despite requests to stay, Elsa did return to Arendelle. Considering the circumstances, the Northuldra didn’t take offense, and welcomed her whenever she could take time away to visit and learn. But Anna sees how the days wore on her sister, rushing this way and that, rarely ever pausing to rest.

Which isn’t new, Anna sighs, watching as Elsa sets down her quill and leaves the office, closing the door behind her. A small squeak comes from the floor and Anna sees poor Bruni plop back down after launching himself towards the gap in the doorway. He’d been a second too late.

“Aww, are you okay?” Anna kneels down to check on him. “You’ll have to forgive her, she’s got a lot on her mind.”

Bruni chirps again, giving Anna a smile and an excited pitter-patter of feet. “Oh, of course,” Anna nods, “I should have known you’d already forgiven her. A wise and powerful spirit.”

The little salamander sparks magenta flame at the praise and darts away, wiggling himself under the door and scampering after Elsa.

Though the Enchanted Forest was many miles away, the spirits are often around, and have complete freedom to roam Arendelle castle. When they visit they spend the most time around the two Fifth Spirits, acknowledging Anna as one of their own. Some are more confined than others however: the Nokk could not leave the water without Elsa’s help, but it was a pleasant enough companion to sit with by the fjord.

Anna finds the Nokk there now, observing the ships coming and going.

“It’s nice isn’t it?” Anna asks. The Nokk turns it’s watery head her way, snorting a greeting. “I used to watch them from my window all the time.” Anna takes a seat next to the horse who is lounging on the sand, where the surf laps at the shore. “I’ll bet you used to watch ships come and go near Ahtohallan, before the Forest closed up.” She brings her chin to her knees. The sea washes against the spirit’s body, absorbed at regular intervals to swirl around it’s flank and belly. “Maybe without the Mist you would have seen my parents’.”

The Nokk glances up at her, attentive. Anna gazes back, trying to find answers in it’s bright blue eyes. “Would you have saved them?” The Nokk’s ear flicks but it’s expression doesn’t change. Anna chuckles to herself. “From the stories Elsa told, perhaps you wouldn’t have. You were trapped and angry and scared in the Forest. Maybe you would have seen them as just one more threat.”

A whiny is her reply, and while Anna may still be learning about the Nokk, she’s been around flesh and blood horses enough to know that the creature in front of her does look a little remorseful.

“It’s alright, I don’t blame you.” Anna leans back and looks skyward, at the clouds racing overhead. “And I know that you would now, even if we’re both uncertain of back then. Elsa may have been at the reins, but from what I heard, it was you that sped faster than a tidal wave to make it back here before Arendelle was destroyed. And your power that helped her hold the water back. I will always be grateful to you for saving my… our home.”

The Nokk lowers it’s head and rests it near her knee, letting out a long sigh that sends ripples across the shallow waves and scatters sand towards her hands. This time, it’s eyes search hers.

Anna takes pity on the spirit. “It’s okay. You couldn’t be in two places at once. Besides,” she emphasized, “you hadn’t met me yet and the dam was in the opposite direction of Arendelle. How were you to know?”

A raising of voices sounds over the wall, a commotion in the courtyard.

“Kristoff must be back,” Anna says, rising. “I should make sure everything’s alright.” The Nokk blinks slowly in farewell and dissolves back into the sea.

She was right - Kristoff had returned. As Anna enters the gates she spies Sven already being fed and watered by an enthusiastic Olaf. The reindeer looks tired, no doubt riding hard to get back before sundown. Even the proximity of Olaf’s carrot nose doesn’t seem to perk him up.

And though it was Sven who’d done all the running, Kristoff is the one who looks the most weary. He and Elsa are deep in conversation as Anna approaches, and while she’s not yet close enough to hear, she can see by the slump in his shoulders that he’s not happy.

Ever since they returned from the Forest, Kristoff has volunteered his time connecting with the Northuldra, helping them however they needed as they adjusted to life free of the Mist. Additionally, he began serving as Arendelle’s unofficial ambassador when Elsa couldn’t be around herself. At first Elsa had tried to dissuade him, saying he needed to recover from his own experiences in the Forest, that he didn’t need to serve Arendelle in a capacity he wasn’t comfortable with. He just laughed and tugged on his sash, saying, “Well you never know, Elsa. They might just be my family too.”

The travels were clearly wearing on him, but Kristoff seemed to want to keep moving, keep occupied, always doing something with his feet and his hands.

But Anna doesn’t miss the way he sinks gratefully into Elsa’s warm embrace. Doesn’t miss the way they hug tight. How Elsa disappears behind his broad shoulder, taking a moment to hide in it’s shadow. How Kristoff’s hands pull her close, as though to remind him of something.

“It will be dark soon,” Anna hears Kristoff say as they separate. Elsa turns her head to the west, then up into the hills.

“I’ll be back before dinner,” Elsa says without looking back. Kristoff nods and steps back.

A horse, already prepared, is brought to Elsa which she mounts and steers towards the gates. She’s about to leave when Kristoff calls her name softly from the ground. “Elsa?” Anna is nearly level with them now, but pauses at his tone. “It’s okay if you’re late. We… we understand. Just,” he shuffles on his feet before laying a hand on the horse’s side and meeting her eye. “Take care of yourself, promise?”

Elsa’s eyes glisten for a moment before she nods. “I’ve made a lot of promises recently,” she replies, her voice strained. “But I’ll keep this one.”

She flicks the reins and departs. Kristoff doesn’t linger either, heading back into the castle with Olaf and Sven.

Anna looks between the two groups: at the rapidly disappearing back of her sister and at the somber march of the three heading home. She puts her hands on her hips.

“Honestly,” she huffs, “no one around here knows how to take a break!”

She hears a chittering whistle above her head. Laughter, strange for certain, but a sound Anna has come to love.

“Glad you agree, Gale,” Anna smiles as Gale weaves around her clothes in greeting. Another glance tells Anna that Kristoff and the others were nearly inside. Elsa on the other hand had vanished as soon as she left town. Anna bites her lip as Gale swirls pensively around her. “I know I should probably check on Kristoff but… he does have Sven and Olaf. He- he’ll be alright, for now.” She points a finger at Gale, “But remind me, okay? If I forget that’s on you.”

Gale titters in a way that can only be sarcastic, but it only makes Anna grin wider. “Sure, sure, if I really do forget then I’ll let you toss me up and down in a whirlwind until I remember. But I think you forget that I’ve gotten pretty good at coasting your wind. It won’t be like the first time.”

At this Gale slows, almost bashful, and presses into Anna’s cheek like a cat. “It’s alright! You were just being cautious! Protecting the Forest and all. Geez,” she blew a little air of her own at the wind spirit, making it chitter that laugh again. “What’s with you spirits? So sentimental.”

She sizes up the rest of the courtyard. The horsekeeper is heading in now that his job is over, and the rest of the animals were locked away. Gale races forward, toying with a latch to one of the horse stables.

“No!” Anna reprimands. “I don’t need to take a horse. And especially since-,” she falters. “Just… walk with me? It’ll be good to have someone to talk to.”

Gale floats for a moment, then heads back to tug on Anna’s sleeve, urging her forward. “Alright, alright!” Anna laughs breathlessly, letting herself be led. “I’m coming! Aren’t I the one who invited you?”

They don’t have to travel far, Anna knows where Elsa was heading.

The sun is a golden wedge on the mountain’s rocky sides, sending deep purple shadows towards the east. There’s a clearing in the forest up ahead, one Anna knows well. She passes Elsa’s horse, giving it a wide berth so as not to spook the timid creature.

She hears the sobs she expected, but the sound still cuts her, deeper than any sword.

Elsa is on her knees before the towering headstones of their parents. She hunches over herself, arms crossed against her chest, trying to contain, still, after all these years, the grief and sorrow that live inside her ribs. Her pale hair hangs over her face, which is only a few inches from the ground.

Today has been hard.

Anna knows that Elsa had likely started standing, likely started with talking. Talking until the emotions welled up like the tide, sloshing back and forth and knocking her off balance until something tipped and it all spilled out, scattering her words and knocking her legs out from underneath her.

Anna knows because she’s seen it before: the first, second, and third time Anna took Elsa to see their parent’s grave after the Thaw.

But Anna also knows that that isn’t why Elsa is here this time.

Anna approaches and gazes at the earth before her. It’s been well kept, but of course it has. Just enough time has passed for new grass to grow, despite the soft nip of winter at the end of the night. Gifts and decorations still adorn the site, fresh flowers, a stuffed reindeer, a whittled sunflower, and many, many Arendelle flags.

A sound comes Elsa then. Raw. Agonized. Keening.

Inhuman.

Inhuman in that no human being should ever sound like the weight of their despair is crushing them, breaking them, hollowing them out.

Anna is at her side immediately, and she knows, she knows what will happen but she can’t stop herself. The sight of her sister’s suffering sends trills through her very soul, un-ignorable.

She places a hand on Elsa’s shoulder, in comfort, and watches it go right through. Ethereal. Translucent.

Ghostly.

Elsa grieves in front of a third headstone in the clearing, one that bears Anna’s name, and continues to weep.

Anna finds no purchase on her sister’s form. She hasn’t since the first day she got back from the Forest. She walked those miles by herself, alone, the spirits gone or busy with the living. When she finally returned to Arendelle --after the damn, after the flood, after… the dark, dark waters-- she saw Elsa and Kristoff and ran forward. Forgetting herself, wanting only to greet them and love them.

They walked right through her embrace, like she wasn’t even there.

Because she wasn’t.

Bruni found her two days later, on the roof above Elsa’s room. Unwilling to stay too close but unable to tear herself away from her friends, her family.

Her life.

That the spirits could see her was a small comfort. Very, very small. But at least she wasn’t alone anymore. She’d had plenty of that.

Anna recoils as Elsa shudders through an exhale, her next breath wet and clogged and shallow. Snowflakes start to fall from the sky though there are no clouds, swirling and sticking to grass and fallen leaves. Elsa’s control is slipping, and Anna can’t take it anymore.

“Gale-,” Anna’s voice breaks. “Please...”

The wind spirit knows what she is asking.

It takes a few seconds, but soon leaves and soft grass stems swirl gently around Elsa’s body, dancing in air, pressing gently against her hands to coax them free of their white knuckled grieving. “Gale?” Elsa asks breathlessly, and Anna feels the need to cry herself. Her sister’s voice is hoarse and fragile. Weak like a fractured eggshell. Flower petals wipe away the tears that soak Elsa’s cheeks. Gale tips Elsa’s head up as more objects join the bobbing air current, drawn from the forest and hills beyond.

“What are you...?” Elsa begins, but as a shape takes form she gasps, fresh tears brimming in her eyes.

A simple crown weaves itself into creation before her. Sunflower petals interlace with stalks of wheat and flashes of red maple leaves, bound together with precision and care. The purple head of a crocus flower, the last of the year, or perhaps the first of the new, is the final piece added before the adornment floats toward Elsa’s head and settles atop her hair, as gentle as a mother’s hand.

Or a sister’s.

Recognition widens Elsa’s eyes and she whirls around, staggering upright on unsteady feet.

“Anna!?”

The desperation, the hope, rings out like glass on the brink of shattering. Anna feels her breath catch in her throat as her sister looks at her for the first time since the ice boat ferried her away down the side of a cliff. She reaches out like she did before, even takes a step forward.

Until she realizes Elsa’s eyes are still searching. Looking past her.

After a few moments where Elsa’s heart hammers in her chest and Anna’s tries to recall what that might be like, Elsa’s shoulders drop and it’s a folding, a shrinking, an inward sinking. She is smaller than Anna has ever seen her.

But...

Elsa takes the crocus flower from the crown, plucks a sunflower petal and a soft head of wheat, and with a careful weaving of her own she protects them in ice. Smaller, but no less special than the frozen star atop the Christmas tree years ago, and cradled with just as much care.

Elsa holds the creation to her chest and Anna feels Gale nestle around her shoulders.

Both sisters speak at the same time.

“Thank you. I love you. I miss you.”